Sunset Beach rolls out STEP pay and training plan to boost hiring and retention

Town human‑resources staff introduced the STEP pay and training program, a multi‑part plan intended to improve recruitment, retention, training and succession planning across municipal departments.

"The training module ... is for training and there's about 1,600 different training ... sessions within that module," a staff presenter said while describing the NEOGOV module the town plans to license for townwide employee training and certification. The draft budget includes a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment; the STEP plan adds a salary‑grade structure, step pay progression and a longevity element.

Staff acknowledged the program will redistribute raises unevenly in the short term because long‑tenured employees are credited for retroactive longevity. "Some people benefit from this greatly, some not so much," a council member said, and HR staff said managers will meet individually with employees to explain how the changes affect each person.

Town leaders said they favor the structure because fully retroactive adjustments for all employees would have been significantly more expensive. One staff review showed that making all step changes retroactive in a single roll‑up would exceed the council’s comfort level; instead, the plan raises base pay and integrates steps, with longevity paid as an additional element.

Councilors praised the approach as fiscally cautious and directed staff to continue communications with department heads and employees before formal budget adoption. The draft STEP plan will be presented with the full budget at the advertised public hearing in May.