Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Employment Salaries topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Douglas County HR committee recommends 3.6% general increase; sheriff and treasurer urge 4% for sheriff's office
Summary
HR staff recommended a 3.6% pay increase for nonunion civil-service employees and certain classifications, estimating an added $2.25 million to payroll. Sheriff Hansen and Treasurer Tim Kavanaugh urged a 4% increase to address wage compression and retention in the sheriff's office and for a chief deputy.
Commissioner Marianne Borgeson convened the Douglas County Human Resources Committee in Room 903 to review recommended salary adjustments for 2026. HR staff presented national and public-sector pay surveys and inflation data and recommended a 3.6% general increase for targeted employee groups to be referred to the full board.
Karen Butch, HR, said the committee considered private and public pay-scale surveys (including Gallagher and Pearl Meyer) and noted October's Consumer Price Index at roughly 3.0% nationally and 2.8% for the Midwest. Butch summarized payroll-impact scenarios: a 1% increase would add about $623,778; a 3.6% increase — the HR recommendation — would add approximately $2,250,000 to the county's payroll. She said the average pay across the affected employee pool was about $99,000, and the eight contracts the county currently tracks averaged about 3.2% for 2026. "We actually recommend a 3.6% increase," she said.
Committee members pressed for clarifications. HR confirmed a 7.1% increase in 2026 medical-premium costs applies to both the county and employees and said the recommended percentage is intended to function as a cost-of-living adjustment consistent with the benchmarking data.
Concerns about internal wage compression surfaced when members discussed public-safety pay. Sheriff Hansen (addressed by meeting participants and speaking during the item) described compression between the sheriff's salary and those of chief deputies and captains, saying some deputies currently earn more than the sheriff and that the county recently lost Captain Eric Sellers to an outside police chief position because there was no retention tool. "My recommendation will be, 4% for the sheriff's office," the sheriff said, urging a higher increase for that office to reduce compression and improve retention.
Tim Kavanaugh, treasurer, requested a 4% increase for his chief deputy, Jane Alexander, citing her interim responsibilities and a forthcoming Jan. 27 transition where she would play a key role. "I would like to recommend 4% for Jane," Kavanaugh said.
Staff and committee members agreed that chief deputy and elected-official compensation is typically handled in consultation with each elected official and then included in a formal resolution for a board vote. Patrick Bloomingdale, county administrator, said he would email elected officials to request recommendations for their positions and chief deputies and gather comparative data from neighboring counties as needed.
HR confirmed it will post the presentation materials and detailed cost calculations to the county website for budget planning; Sherry Alban requested the report be shared for budget purposes. No formal vote on a final percentage took place at the committee meeting; HR's 3.6% recommendation was recorded for placement on the full-board agenda.
The committee closed after directing staff to collect additional information from elected officials and prepare the payroll and resolution materials for the full board.
