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Chautauqua County HR seeks salary-range reassignment to retain management staff; committee questions budget implications
Summary
Human resources director Debbie Makowski proposed reassigning salary ranges for 128 management employees to protect institutional knowledge and address market shifts; she stressed the change does not automatically increase pay but committee members pressed for details on budget impact and timelines.
Debbie Makowski, Chautauqua County’s director of human resources, presented a proposed local law to reassign salary ranges for the county’s management group — including coordinators, supervisors, managers, deputy directors, directors and officers — saying the measure is intended to retain leaders and align compensation ranges with evolving responsibilities.
Makowski told the committee the affected group includes 128 employees; as of Jan. 1, 2026, 34 employees were within 10% of the max of their assigned range and 11 employees had less than 3% room before reaching their range maximum. She emphasized that reassigning a salary range ‘‘does not equal a salary increase’’ and that department heads would still need to operate within legislative-approved budgets to grant any raises.
Committee members asked how often ranges are updated (Makowski said last updated in December 2022, based on a market survey), whether the change would prompt a wave of salary increases, and who would be responsible for any future adjustments. Makowski said individual salary decisions remain the responsibility of department heads and that the proposal preserves legislative oversight of budgets. Several legislators said they would want additional information on the typical percentage-range shifts, vacancy status for affected titles and the fiscal mechanics before voting on the local law.
No committee vote to adopt the local law occurred that evening; members requested follow-up details about projected budget impacts and the departmental processes that would govern any salary changes.
