Berkeley County administration to review firefighter pay scale as department grows

County Administrator Gary Weyane told the Berkeley County Commission that the county's existing firefighter step-in-grade pay scale was designed for a much smaller workforce and needs review now that the department has grown.

Weyane said the prior scale assumed mostly 8- and 12-hour employees and about 20 positions; the department now operates with roughly 48 full-time employees on 24/7 schedules. He requested consensus to work with Deputy Administrator Chad Weinbrenner and Fire Chief Martin Roberts to develop a revised step-in-grade scale and return to the commission with a formal proposal.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the growth of the paid fire force and shift structure can change how step increases and cost-of-living adjustments interact. Weyane asked staff to avoid proposals that would reduce long-term compensation; commissioners emphasized fairness and equity across employees.

Commission direction: Commissioners agreed by voice that staff should analyze and bring back recommendations. The commission did not take a vote to change pay scale in the meeting; the directive was only to study options and report back.

Scope and caveats: Weyane and other staff noted that some employees already have guaranteed step-in-grade increases and that future cost-of-living adjustments would need to be applied without double-counting step increases. The administrators said any specific raise or reclassification would return to the commission for formal approval.

Next steps: County administration and the fire chief will prepare a revised proposal with fiscal analysis for a future meeting.