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Commissioners adjust Purdue Extension salary ordinance: office manager pay lowered, program assistant rates frozen
Summary
After a presentation by the Purdue Extension office, commissioners voted to lower the advertised pay for the office manager and to freeze pay rates for two program assistants while staff and the council pursue a job-classification review.
A representative from Purdue Extension presented proposed revisions to the office’s salary ordinance and commissioners voted to change the pay structure for the office manager and to freeze pay rates for two program assistant positions.
"The first page that I've given you is the salary ordinance as adopted. The second page is how I propose it be revised," the presenter told the commissioners, describing a plan that would reallocate existing budgeted funds to increase the hourly pay of two program assistants while reducing the office manager’s pay so program assistants earn more for fieldwork and programming.
The presenter said she had reallocated $88.90 biweekly within the office’s payroll to raise two program assistants to $22.02 per hour while reducing the office manager to approximately $21.35 per hour, without increasing the overall budget. She noted the extension had recently hired a second program assistant, who is bilingual.
Several commissioners objected to what they described as a mid-year pay change. One commissioner said, "I just don't think that's justified in any department in the county," citing general concern about approving raises outside the normal schedule. The presenter said she had delayed changes until a vacancy in the office-manager position created an opportunity to reallocate funds without adding cost.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to set the office manager pay at the revised biweekly rate noted in the submitted ordinance and to freeze the two program assistant positions at their current rates; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The county clerk and staff will prepare the formal salary ordinance paperwork for signature pending final review.
Commissioners and the presenter agreed to pursue a classification review to ensure job titles and pay bands reflect duties; staff suggested consulting with county human resources or the party who conducted the original classification study. The 2% across-the-board increase discussed for 2026 would still apply to the approved office-manager rate.
No outside funding was requested — the presenter said the change was a reallocation of existing appropriations and would not increase the office’s total budget.
