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Personnel committee refers deputy veterans service pay-grade increase to budget committee
Summary
The personnel committee voted March 17 to forward a request to move the deputy veterans service representative to pay grade 8, step 7 (about $43,008.63 annually) to the budget committee for consideration.
The Hawkins County Personnel Committee voted March 17 to refer a request to the budget committee that would move the county’s deputy veterans service representative to pay grade 8, step 7, increasing the annual salary from $41,009.55 to $43,008.63.
Manning, who spoke for the county veterans service office, told the committee the office handles claims and outreach that bring federal funds into the county, and described the office’s workload. Manning said the office files disability and pension claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and that those payments return money to county residents; he gave county-level estimates during his presentation. "We follow him or her from the inception of the claim through the completion of the claim," Manning said, describing the office’s hands-on work with veterans.
Manning asked the personnel committee to advance a pay-scale adjustment for the deputy (referred to in the meeting as Brandy) to the budget committee. He provided comparative salary context for similar positions in nearby counties and noted the deputy "will have been here 18 years" and has had limited step increases under the current pay scale. He proposed moving the deputy to pay grade 8, step 7, which he said corresponds to a salary of $43,008.63, an increase from $41,009.55.
A motion to refer the pay-grade adjustment to the budget committee was made, seconded and carried by voice vote. Committee members expressed support for the office’s work while raising questions about recruitment and the long-term structure of pay scales for supervisory and deputy roles. One commissioner noted a potential future recruitment issue if a supervisor’s salary equaled that of subordinate staff; another committee member said the pay change could improve retention.
The personnel committee did not itself change salaries or appropriate funds; the item was referred to the budget committee for cost analysis and any funding decisions.
