Washington County Commissioners on Nov. 25 approved amendments to the county’s PCIP (pay/compensation incentive plan) policies and added targeted certification pay for eligible law-enforcement positions.

Staff presented a plan to merge two existing PCIP programs — one for dispatch and one for the sheriff’s office — into a single, combined program. Miss Scalco (staff) said the consolidation is intended to simplify administration and that she would add qualifying language to specify which positions are eligible for incentives.

Separately, commissioners considered two certification-pay changes. Constable Holly requested adding civil process proficiency certification pay for eligible positions in the constable’s office; staff noted that only one employee (William Shepherd) is currently eligible and another employee (Darius Smith) could become eligible next year if they pass the required exam. Commissioners discussed the proposed $1,000 incentive and compared it to master peace officer pay figures mentioned in the meeting ($1,800). After discussion about budget coverage and whether certification incentives should be permanent salary components, the court moved and approved adding civil process proficiency certification pay for eligible constable positions using funds identified in the current budget.

Sheriff’s Office representatives then asked the court to add telecommunicators certification pay for eligible positions (Jackie Watson and Becky Pollard were named as positions currently holding or needing the certification to access NCIC/TCIC/driver-license systems). Commissioners debated whether required certifications should be incorporated into revised job descriptions and base pay rather than paid as separate incentives; staff said job-description updates and a future salary survey could address that, and that this year’s change would apply for the current budget cycle. The court moved and approved adding telecommunicators certification pay for eligible sheriff’s office positions and approved the amendment to combine and update the PCIP program’s eligibility language.

Commissioners instructed staff to draft or amend job descriptions and to revisit how certification requirements and pay should be handled in future budget cycles.