Gilliam County adopts resolution moving nonrepresented employees to salaried pay; approves union LOA with July 1 effective date

Gilliam County Court on April 2 approved a resolution converting most nonrepresented county positions from hourly to salaried status and conditionally approved a letter of agreement with AFSCME Local 3326 that sets a 3.5% cost-of-living adjustment, both to take effect July 1, 2025.

Brooklyn Griffith, the county finance director, briefed the court on R-2025-04 and explained the resolution was chosen for ease of tracking and to align salaried positions with full-time equivalents beginning July 1. "We decided to go the resolution route, mainly for ease of tracking and historical data," she said.

The court first approved the resolution to amend the position schedule as presented. Commissioners then approved a negotiated letter of agreement with AFSCME Local 3326, amended to make the effective date July 1, 2025 rather than "upon signing." The LOA includes a 3.5% COLA for represented employees; the county noted the budget committee must still appropriate funds during the budget process.

Commissioners also moved to make the nonrepresented position schedule change effective July 1 and approved implementation steps tied to the budget cycle.

Griffith told the court the change would be implemented July 1, when FTEs are calculated and salary increases take effect; part-time hourly roles would remain hourly. The court and union representatives discussed sequencing so both sides could sign an amended LOA reflecting the July 1 effective date.

All motions on the resolution, the LOA and the nonrepresented position schedule change passed on voice votes.