Treasure County compensation board recommends 3% raise, asks staff to design longevity pay and HRA options

The Treasure County compensation board voted May 21 to recommend a 3% across‑the‑board pay increase for county employees, and asked staff to develop options for a longevity-based bonus or fixed-dollar longevity pay and to explore a Health Reimbursement Account to supplement employee health coverage.

The board chair opened the meeting by describing the panel’s annual duty to compare local pay to peer counties and produce a recommendation for the county commissioners. The spreadsheet presented at the meeting used fiscal‑year 2024 compensation data from reporting Montana counties and included budget scenarios for 3% and 5% raises; staff told the board the 3% option would add about $23,072 to the county payroll while a 5% option would cost roughly $36,003.70 in the model presented.

Marley, a department head who led the office-level budget work, urged the board to consider longevity pay “because we are getting a lot of people” and training new hires is time-consuming. Marley also cited a statutory subsection (read in the meeting as “7 4 25 0 3 c”) that allows the commissioners discretion to grant an additional stipend to a qualified sheriff, and asked the board to factor retention and recruitment into its recommendation.

Board members discussed mechanics and trade-offs: several department heads said one‑person offices and long-tenured employees create inequities when new hires start at the same pay as staff with 10 or more years of service. Commissioners and board members debated whether longevity should be structured as a percentage that compounds over time or as a fixed dollar amount or stair-step bonus (for example, amounts tied to 5, 10 and 15 years of service). One board member recommended a fixed-dollar approach to make budgeting simpler and avoid compounding percent increases.

Speaker 5 (an elected official who said they had been in office previously) raised health‑insurance cost concerns and recommended exploring a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) to provide a non‑taxable, employer‑funded supplement to employees’ HSAs; the official said they had contacted Pam Walling to discuss HRA options.

After discussion, Speaker 6 (identified in the meeting as Wendy) moved to recommend a 3% raise contingent on final valuation figures and to direct staff to prepare options for longevity (fixed‑dollar per year or stair‑step bonuses) or an end‑of‑year longevity bonus. Speaker 2 (identified as Shelly) seconded the motion and the board approved it by voice vote. The chair said the board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the county commissioners for final action.

The board also discussed the county’s recent success securing grants — including funding that covered a road grader and other equipment — which members said helps the county avoid direct tax costs and creates budget flexibility for potential benefit changes. The board asked staff to prepare specific dollar‑amount proposals and cost estimates for longevity programs and for the HRA so members and commissioners can review the fiscal impact during budget formulation.