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HR proposes county-wide pay-plan overhaul; board directs outreach to elected officials
Summary
Human Resources proposed revised pay plans that change step definitions, longevity, hiring steps and shift differential rules; the board asked HR to circulate the draft to elected officials for feedback and to consider a flexible salary-survey schedule.
Kootenai County Human Resources presented a proposed overhaul to the county’s pay administration policy on March 6 that would add pay matrices, reduce the number of steps and clarify requirements for step increases, hiring steps, career progression, shift differential and special-duty pay.
HR Director Sylvia Proud told commissioners the changes would align five county pay plans: the general pay plan, attorney pay plan, chief deputies, 911 and sworn officer matrices. The proposal defines a step anniversary date (which may differ from date of hire), a longevity date for sworn peace officers, and conditions under which employees qualify for step anniversary increases.
Proud said step anniversary increases, if budgeted, require at least 12 months between increases unless the board approves otherwise in a public meeting. Employees are eligible for a step increase only if they are not at the maximum of their pay range and have had no documented performance issues in the 12 months preceding the step anniversary date; listed disqualifiers include performance improvement plans, last-chance agreements, involuntary demotion, suspension without pay, written warning or written reprimand.
The proposal also formalizes hiring salary steps tied to relevant experience: hire at step 1 for minimum qualifications; up to step 2 for up to one year of experience; step 3 for two to three years; step 4 for four years; and step 5 for five or more years. Any hiring above step 5 would require board approval in a public meeting.
On shift differential and special-duty pay, HR proposed that those pay types not be granted unless an employee has actively worked for six consecutive months. Commissioners asked for clarity about what constitutes a “distinct” shift (for example, swing or graveyard shifts versus minor schedule variations) and whether special-duty pay should aggregate across multiple team assignments. Proud said the policy leaves eligibility determination to elected officials and department heads and recommended sharing the draft with affected elected officials for review.
Board direction and next steps: Commissioners asked HR to send the draft to elected officials for review and feedback, with a suggested review period of about one month and return to the first HR meeting in April. The board discussed the frequency of labor-market salary surveys; the policy text was left flexible to allow surveys every three to five years depending on market conditions and board direction.
Why it matters: The changes would standardize how the county manages pay progression, hiring step placement and eligibility for special pay types, affecting recruitment, retention and departmental budgets.
