Franklin County reclassifies three positions and approves modest pay adjustments; magistrates call for a compensation study

The Franklin County Fiscal Court voted Jan. 7 to reclassify three county positions and adjust pay schedules for the newly reclassified roles, after staff presented a position study and budget impact analysis.

Ashley, the county staff lead for the position study, told the court the reclassifications reflect work that has changed over time: the fire department administrative assistant would become an administrative assistant senior (with a small hourly bump), the occupational tax administrator would become a business office manager to reflect added duties (transient room tax, business license collections, auditing), and the planning and zoning supervisor would become an assistant director given increased operational, MS4 and supervisory responsibilities.

Chief Brewer testified to the complexity of the fire-department administrative assistant role and recommended the change. The court debated internal pay compression and parity with similar positions across county government; several magistrates said they supported the position changes but asked staff to commission a countywide compensation study ahead of larger-scale pay adjustments.

Finance staff said the immediate budget impact could be handled via a budget transfer and the FY25 impact lines were included in the abstract. The court approved all three reclassifications in the voting session and authorized necessary budget transfers; one magistrate asked that a formal compensation study be placed on a future agenda so the court can make broader, informed decisions about county pay scales.

What happens next: the reclassifications take effect at the start of the next pay period and staff will execute the budget transfer and return with any requested follow-up materials; several magistrates asked staff to propose a timeline and vendor options for a compensation study.