Chautauqua County HR proposes manager salary‑range update, stresses it wouldn't immediately raise pay

Debbie Makovsky, director of human resources, told the Audit & Control Committee on Feb. 19 that the proposed local law would reassign salary ranges for the county’s management group — coordinators, supervisors, managers, deputy directors, directors and officers — to reduce the risk that long‑tenured staff reach the maximums of their assigned ranges.

"This proposal does not provide a change to any employee's salary at all," Makovsky said, and emphasized that changing a range assignment is distinct from giving an individual pay increase. She said the management group includes 128 employees and that as of Jan. 1, 2026, 34 employees (about 26%) had less than 10% remaining until they reached their range maximums; 11 had less than 3% remaining.

Makovsky gave five justifications: protecting institutional knowledge and lowering replacement costs; aligning ranges with growing job impact; maintaining motivation and performance; promoting pay equity and fairness; and signaling value and long‑term trust in county leaders. She highlighted that department heads still control actual pay decisions and must operate within approved budgets.

Committee members pressed staff on how ranges are set and tied to market benchmarks. Makovsky and other staff said past practice included occasional top‑of‑range adjustments (often 3% or 5%) and that the last comprehensive review of the management salary structure occurred in December 2022 using statewide county comparisons and some private‑sector local benchmarks. Members urged a future discussion about automatic inflation indexing and more systematic market referencing.

The committee did not take a final vote on the local law during the meeting; staff said actions on the related measures would proceed through the regular legislative process and that departmental budget authorities remain intact.