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Committee approves regrade for legal services director and lets administrator negotiate contract if needed
Summary
After a lengthy debate about recruitment and pay scales, the committee approved regrading the legal services director position from grade 19 to grade 20 (additional cost $13,231) and authorized the county administrator to negotiate salary terms under a contract for subsequent board approval if necessary.
The Finance & Administration Committee approved forwarding a request to regrade the county’s legal services director position from grade 19 to grade 20 on the county wage scale, adding $13,231 to the county’s salary costs, and amended the motion to allow the county administrator to negotiate a contract salary if needed to secure a candidate.
Patrick (county staff) told the committee the regrade follows recommendations in a Baker Tilly wage study and that the county had a small applicant pool; one strong out-of-state finalist withdrew, citing salary. "We had three [applicants]. One was really good... he did withdraw, citing salary as one of the reasons," Patrick said, explaining the extra pay is intended to make the position competitive.
Several committee members questioned whether a contract hire would be preferable to changing the pay grade. One member said the county has been in a holding pattern with in-house legal coverage and suggested negotiating authority so the county would not lose another candidate. The amended motion directed staff to forward the regrade request and also "authorize the county administrator to negotiate a salary under the terms of a contract for subsequent board approval if necessary," language the board approved.
The committee discussed comparators and whether other counties hire in‑house counsel or use contracts; Patrick said Baker Tilly’s study included comparable counties and staff believe the proposed grade is close to market. The committee approved the amended motion by roll call.
The committee did not adopt any further compensation details at this meeting; the administrator was authorized to negotiate specific contract terms and return the result for board approval if required.
