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Council asks finance to prepare budget amendment limiting director/deputy raises to 9%; staff to implement 3%/2% across remaining employees
Summary
Work session discussions narrowed a proposed set of pay adjustments. Council asked staff to draft an amendment applying a 9% increase to directors and deputy directors and to implement the planned 3% July / 2% January raises for other employees, with red-line (maxed) employees receiving one-time bonuses rather than permanent salary adjustments.
Wicomico County council members and staff discussed a wide-ranging set of salary and position-control items during a May 22 work session and asked staff to prepare a budget amendment that sets director and deputy director increases at 9 percent while retaining the countywide 3 percent (July) and 2 percent (January) increases for other staff.
Finance staff presented multiple scenarios. Council members expressed concern about recruitment and retention; staff cited recent departures where comparable jobs in neighboring counties—Somerset cited—offered substantially higher pay. The council asked for a narrower, immediately actionable amendment to reduce short-term fiscal impact while preserving targeted pay increases for senior managers.
Why it matters: compensation decisions affect the county’s ability to retain specialized staff, influence pension calculations, and change ongoing personnel costs that must be built into future budgets. Council…
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