Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Human Resources topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultant: Nash County has salary compression; recommends eight‑year comratio model to restore pay separation
Summary
A market pay study presented by David Hill found substantial salary compression in the county’s current cohort of positions and recommended an eight‑year comratio model and benchmark monitoring to advance longer‑tenured employees toward pay midpoints and aid recruitment/retention.
A consultant told the Board of Commissioners on May 18 that Nash County’s workforce shows signs of salary compression—many incumbents earn only slightly above their pay‑grade minimums—and recommended using a structured years‑of‑service model to create separation and improve retention.
David Hill of the Piedmont Triad Regional Council summarized six months of data collection and analysis, focusing on the cohort of positions reviewed this cycle (largely human‑services and cooperative extension classifications). He said 62% of employees in the current group earn less than 5% above their grade minimum and roughly 76% are less than 10% above minimum, conditions that indicate compression and limit the county’s ability to reward longer service.
Hill recommended an eight‑year ‘‘comratio’’ approach that places employees progressively closer to the midpoint of the pay grade based on years of service (for example, midway toward the midpoint at eight years), plus continued tracking of benchmark classifications that are hard to fill. Commissioners asked about geographic market comparisons, the timing of data collection (snapshots taken in early August) and the potential role of cost‑of‑living adjustments in closing gaps. Hill said the study uses representative local government peers and projects a modest market increase for planning purposes.
Why it matters: The study directly informed the manager’s FY27 recommendation to fund roughly $956,785 to align a set of human‑services salaries and guided the board’s conversation about merit pay and vacancy funding built into the proposed budget.
