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County consultants present compensation study; staff retention flagged for follow‑up
Summary
Pontifex Consulting presented a county compensation study and recommended pay‑grade alignments and continued support. Commissioners pressed staff on retention and how recommended changes would be phased into the budget; no formal pay decisions were made at the meeting.
Pontifex Consulting presented the results of Harnett County’s 2025–26 compensation study during the Feb. 10 Board of Commissioners meeting, saying the review shows the county is generally competitive but that select pay‑grade adjustments would better position the government to retain and recruit employees.
Janice Lane, human resources, introduced consultant Pete Ronza, who said the study focused on three elements: external competitiveness, internal equity and process maintenance. Ronza told commissioners that the consultant will provide 12 months of post‑project support to help place new jobs in correct pay grades. "We didn't see anything in your system that is out of whack with any of federal, regulations," he said during the presentation.
Commissioners used the presentation as an opportunity to press staff on employee turnover and which job classes are most at risk. Several members asked whether recruitment and retention gaps are primarily pay‑driven or reflect benefits, remote‑work preferences or career paths. Lane and Ronza said the study identifies specific job families and recommended targeted adjustments to starting salaries and pay ranges; they emphasized that implementation would occur through the regular budget process and that no pay changes were being adopted at the meeting.
The discussion also connected to other agenda items: social‑services and utility presenters described vacancies and departures that county staff said partly reflect regional competition. Commissioners directed county management to include the study’s recommendations in upcoming budget deliberations and to return with implementation costing and phasing options.
The board took no immediate salary actions at the meeting; the consultant provided the study as a decision support document for the manager and commissioners to consider during the FY27 budget process.
The county’s HR director and the Pontifex consultant are expected to provide follow‑up cost estimates and a recommended implementation schedule as the budget season continues.
