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Kittitas County commissioners deny prosecutor's request to boost chief criminal deputy pay
Summary
At a June 10 HR study session, Kittitas County commissioners rejected Prosecutor Greg Zempel's request to move Chief Criminal Deputy Hammond from pay step 6 to step 9, citing prior opportunities to request matrix adjustments and a county policy limiting raises to one step per anniversary.
On June 10, 2025, the Kittitas County Board of Commissioners declined Prosecutor Greg Zempel's request to advance Chief Criminal Deputy Hammond from step 6 to step 9 on the county wage matrix.
Zempel told the board Hammond has been performing chief criminal deputy duties since 2017 and that the county formally recognized the chief position with a separate job description and wage scale in 2019. He asked the commissioners to approve a two-step adjustment to recognize those years of service.
The board denied the request, explaining that "county policy allows for a single step increase each year on the anniversary of the employee's position date" and that department heads and elected officials had been invited last June to submit requests for special wage-matrix adjustments prior to the matrix's adoption. No formal motion or vote tally was recorded in the minutes for this denial.
Why it matters: Pay-step adjustments affect internal equity and ongoing payroll costs; they also set precedents for future reclassification and special-adjustment requests. Prosecutor Zempel framed the request as recognition of sustained performance in the chief role; the board framed its decision as adherence to existing policy and prior administrative opportunities.
The minutes do not record any alternative proposals or a timetable for reconsideration. The next formal opportunity for an employee step increase remains the anniversary of the employee's position date, per county policy.
