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Polk County adopts amended 2026 wage grid, sets top county salaries
Summary
The Polk County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted Resolution 2026-30 on June 16, 2026, regrading several positions, updating the 2026 wage grid effective July 1 and setting the County Administrator, County Attorney and Sheriff compensation levels; the resolution text and wage table contain a discrepancy on the stated overall percentage increase.
The Polk County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on June 16 to adopt Resolution 2026-30, amending the 2026 wage grid, regrading selected positions and setting pay levels effective July 1, 2026. The resolution was offered by Commissioner Ross Pape and seconded by Commissioner Paul Reese.
The resolution states the board conducted an employment market study and ‘‘recommend[ed] changes to the wage grid by adding three grades, re-grading selected positions, and a 2% increase in the overall grid.’’ The packet included a detailed wage table that lists 3.00% figures in the column headings, a discrepancy noted in the meeting record.
Why it matters: the changes affect hourly and annual pay for county employees, including regrades for department heads and executive positions and will be administered by the County Administrator’s office.
Details adopted: the resolution lists multiple regrades to take effect July 1, 2026. Notable position adjustments recorded in the minutes include regrading the County Administrator to Grade 25 (set at Step 5), the County Engineer to Grade 24, and several department director positions to higher grades. The Board set the County Attorney’s annual 2026 salary at $174,589.92 and the County Sheriff’s annual 2026 salary at $150,653.64. The packet indicates the amended grid applies July 1–Dec. 31, 2026.
Commissioner Ross Pape offered the resolution; Commissioner Paul Reese seconded it. The motion carried with YEAS recorded for Commissioners Reese, Strandell, Lee, Willhite and Pape and NAYS: None.
The minutes show the wage grid structure and step table included in the meeting materials; the record itself contains both the 2% phrasing in the resolution text and 3.00% entries in the wage table. The board did not record further debate in the minutes; implementation duties were assigned to the County Administrator’s office.
The resolution’s implementation is effective July 1, 2026; the minutes do not record additional budgetary votes tied specifically to the salary changes beyond adoption of the resolution.
Next steps: the amended grid will be administered by the County Administrator’s office and applied to non-represented positions through Dec. 31, 2026, per the resolution text.
