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Harney County work session advances plan to catch up employee step increases and overhaul performance reviews
Summary
County staff proposed a budget that includes a 1.5% COLA and roughly 24 step increases to bring employee pay up to date; commissioners asked for clearer performance‑evaluation rules and a compensation policy from an LCOG classification study due this summer.
County budget staff presented a general‑fund plan that assumes a 1.5% cost‑of‑living adjustment and about 24 step increases designed to bring long‑delayed employee step advancements current. The presenter said the package should eliminate any employee with a step date older than 2024 after the next budget cycle.
Commissioners and staff emphasized the need for clearer performance evaluations to underpin step changes. Staff proposed moving away from a numeric 1–5 rating to a three‑category system—does not meet, meets, exceeds expectations—and budgeted $2,000 for an LCOG classification and compensation consultant to produce updated job descriptions and a formal compensation policy by July or August.
Officials raised retention worries and discussed options to make the step schedule more compact or to add an early step at six months to reduce first‑three‑year turnover. Staff cautioned that constrained revenues and unresolved gaps in the general fund—roughly $50,000, according to discussion—mean commissioners must prioritize and may not be able to fund every department ask this cycle.
The presenter said staff will return with clearer year‑end balance figures and a two‑to‑three‑year implementation timeline for steps and performance‑evaluation changes. No formal vote or budget adoption occurred during the session; commissioners set a follow‑up work session to review refined figures.
