Service Authority approves 5% salary increase and raises staff Christmas bonus to $300

The Amherst County Service Authority on Dec. 2 approved a 5% salary equity adjustment for selected pay bands and increased the staff Christmas bonus to $300.

Director (Speaker 4) presented a salary equity report recommending adjustments to pay bands for grades 12, 16 and 17 and moving the office manager position from grade 11 to grade 12. "I am recommending that we do an adjustment effective January 1," the director said, presenting cost options for 5%, 7% and 10% increases.

Speaker 3 moved to "follow the recommendation of the director on the salary equity report to increase...by the 5% as proposed," and the board approved the motion by voice vote. During discussion the meeting record included a stated total fiscal‑year cost for the 5% option: "So it'd be the $11,006.17 would be the cost for 5%," a figure presented during the discussion.

Separately, the board had pulled the Christmas bonus from the consent agenda for separate consideration. Speaker 2 moved to increase the holiday bonus from $150 to $300, citing sufficient cash funds; Speaker 8 supported the increase, noting the difficulty of hiring. The board approved the $300 bonus by voice vote.

Board members noted concerns about making mid‑year compensation changes but said the proposed 5% adjustment was modest and justified by market comparisons. The director said the funds would come from interest earnings tied to capital projects and that staff will continue work to improve the authority's financial reporting.

Next steps: Salary adjustments were authorized to take effect Jan. 1 and staff will implement payroll changes and report budget impacts as part of ongoing financial updates to the board.