Commissioners discuss COLA, merit and tax‑assessor pay request

Wayne County commissioners reviewed proposed salary adjustments affecting county employees and a specific pay request from the tax assessor's office, asking staff to bring back percent‑based options for formal consideration in January.

Speaker 3 summarized the assessor's request, saying the office proposed a 5% salary increase for the chief and deputy chief and 7% for other employees; the same materials showed an example where a clerk’s hourly rate would increase to $16.83, representing an "overall increase of $16,686," Speaker 3 said. Commissioners discussed applying a 1% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) and a 2.5% merit increase, noting those adjustments generally apply at anniversary dates for merit pay and the 1% COLA would take effect on January 1.

Commissioners emphasized balancing compensation with fiscal stewardship. "We've gotta be good stewards of Wayne County taxpayers' money," Speaker 2 said while supporting recognition for long‑tenured staff who are experienced at their jobs. The board asked staff (Amanda and others) to prepare a "good, better, best" percent‑based breakdown so members can compare the effect of different options when they vote.

Next step: staff will prepare comparative salary scenarios and return with answers to outstanding questions at the January meeting; no formal salary motion or vote was recorded during the provided portion of the meeting.