Commissioners ask Board of Elections to explain payroll changes after staff records show June 2024 grade increases

Commissioners asked the Trumbull County Board of Elections to meet with them after payroll screenshots shown at a Feb. 5 budget workshop indicated the director and deputy had pay‑grade increases effective June 24, 2024.

Staff told the board that payroll shows both positions at a higher pay grade (a payroll extract shown in the meeting listed the positions as Grade 14, step 20, with salaries around $96,809). Commissioners said they were surprised and asked whether those increases were approved by the BOE, whether they were retroactive, and whether the county must fund the change going forward.

A staff member said payroll had recorded the change on 06/24/24 and offered to pull personnel action records for verification. "If they were asking you to fund it going forward, we need to know that," a commissioner said. The board asked the BOE to send the director, deputy or two board members to a preliminary meeting (scheduled before a larger Thursday workshop) to explain the steps taken and to provide documentation.

The BOE meeting will be an information session for commissioners to confirm whether the payroll changes were properly adopted and whether the county needs to budget for the increases in 2025.

If the payroll changes are confirmed and the BOE seeks county funding, commissioners said they will require clear documentation showing effective dates and any retroactive payouts before approving additional appropriations.