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Commissioners and staff spar over 3% COLA, step increases and shift away from merit raises
Summary
At the budget workshop commissioners pressed staff on a proposed 3% cost-of-living increase and a 1.25% step for eligible employees; commissioners and managers debated merit-based raises vs. step/grade reclassifications and asked staff to provide comparative salary data for peer counties.
Commissioners spent a sustained portion of the workshop on pay policy, longevity steps and merit pay, pressing staff for comparative data and alternatives to an across‑the‑board cost‑of‑living adjustment.
Interim County Manager Miss Blue told the board that the draft budget factors a 3% COLA and "a 1 step for anyone that's been here longer than a year as of 07/01/2025," the step equating to about 1.25 percent for eligible employees. Miss Blue said the 3% figure tracks the consumer price index for the Southeast region.
Several commissioners questioned whether a uniform COLA sufficiently addresses retention and pay compression. One commissioner said, "3% does not — most people won't see a big difference in their paycheck," arguing for greater emphasis on targeted, merit-based increases for high-performing or hard-to-retain roles.
Managers and HR staff pushed back on merit-only systems, describing prior experience with subjective evaluations that produced uneven outcomes across departments. Miss Blue and HR staff said prior merit pools were difficult to administer consistently and often created perceived inequities; HR is preparing a revised personnel policy and a uniform career‑development framework meant to standardize reclassifications, merit criteria and career-path steps across departments.
HR Director Pam said the county is working on a uniform career development approach and will present a draft policy for board review. Commissioners asked HR to include comparative salary tables — especially for positions where turnover is highest (for example, social services and public safety) — and to propose a tuition/education reimbursement structure that could be applied countywide.
Why it matters: compensation policy affects recruitment, retention and the county’s budgetary commitments. Commissioners requested comparative data and asked staff to return with options (merit pools, step increases, targeted reclasses) before finalizing the budget.
What's next: HR will finalize a personnel policy update and present comparative salary analysis and recommendations for tuition‑reimbursement ceilings for board review.
