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Alamance County adopts Baker Tilly recommendation to implement compensation adjustments, authorizes $200,000 for rollout
Summary
Following a Baker Tilly market study, the board voted to implement the study's Option 2 (an approach that accounts for years in position) and authorized up to $200,000 for implementation and cleanup ahead of a Jan. 1 pay plan change.
The Alamance County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to implement Phase 2 of a county compensation market study using the more targeted implementation scenario that credits employees for years in position. The decision follows a multi‑hour presentation from Baker Tilly and a recommendation from county management.
Sarah Towne, consulting manager with Baker Tilly, presented methodology and results from the second phase of the study. Towne said the county carried 118 positions to market and was able to obtain market values for 94.1% of those roles. On average the sampled positions were 4.2% above market at the minimum and 1.8% above market at the midpoint, but some individual roles fell behind market and will need adjustments.
Towne outlined two implementation options. Option 1 would move any below‑minimum employees to the new minimum (estimated annual cost ~$126,000). Option 2 also credits years in position, placing employees within the new ranges based on tenure; that approach carried an estimated annual cost of roughly $336,000. Towne emphasized the firm "does not recommend a pay decrease for any employee as a result of the study." "Option 2 is... roughly $336,000, and that is accounting for the full annual component," she said.
County staff said $400,000 had been budgeted for phase 2 implementation; the county manager recommended Option 2 and asked the board to authorize up to $200,000 now to permit cleanup and fine‑tuning prior to a Jan. 1 implementation. Commissioners discussed hybrid approaches for hard‑to‑fill positions such as DSS social workers, use of retention contracts in high‑turnover departments and potential future changes to the county's compensation philosophy.
After discussion, the board voted unanimously to adopt Option 2 and to authorize staff to spend up to $200,000 for implementation adjustments and cleanup. Staff said they will return with final implementation figures and any department‑level follow‑ups before the January effective date.
