Commissioners approve interim pay step for emergency management interim director

Walsh County commissioners agreed May 6 to move Emergency Management staff member Crystal to the step‑1 pay rate for the interim Emergency Management/911 director role, retroactive to April, after a lengthy discussion about whether to adopt a standard approach to compensation for employees stepping into interim department‑head duties.

County staff said Crystal had been acting as interim director after a vacancy and that the step‑1 pay level is approximately $860 per month higher than her previous rate. Commissioners considered alternatives including a flat $500 monthly bump that the county has used in other unique situations. The motion approved was that Crystal be placed at the step‑1 rate retroactive to April.

Discussion at the meeting reviewed past, nonidentical precedents: temporary monthly stipends given in other departments, reclassification of deputies in short gaps without additional pay, and concerns about overlapping pay scales where an interim step could create a pay reduction for some deputies. Commissioners emphasized the need to treat individual cases carefully, with several members saying they preferred case‑by‑case review rather than a single universal standard.

Crystal and other county staff described her experience: a long tenure in county administration, FEMA and Emergency Management Institute training, and familiarity with grant processes and floodplain management tasks. Commissioners and staff cited those qualifications in supporting the step‑1 placement.

The motion to place Crystal at step 1 (interim) and to make the pay retroactive to April passed on a roll call. The board asked staff to consider a process for future interim pay decisions and noted concerns that any standard must avoid creating pay reductions for employees whose current step is already at or above a proposed interim step.