Council hears long debate over FES job-classification plan, budget impact and employee concerns

The meeting turned into an extended review of a proposed overhaul of Brown County’s job-classification and compensation system using the FES (Factory Evaluation System) methodology. Laurie, the consultant who explained the system, told the council that FES uses standardized classification scoring and that the county needs clean job descriptions before staff can be reclassified.

Council members discussed a market-based baseline (50% of an external midpoint) and a target of phasing classifications up to 90% of that midpoint over 2027–2029. A councilmember presented an estimate that bringing 19 classification buckets toward a 90% target would cost roughly $323,875 for 2027 (excluding special-occupation categories). The auditor’s office and the council discussed whether the salary ordinance and budget can be reconciled in time for the October budget schedule.

Department heads raised sharp concerns: changes in the draft personnel handbook would reduce the paid lunch period from one hour to 0.5 hour (effectively shifting the annual hours baseline from 2,080 to 1,950 hours unless the annual salary is adjusted), and that change could be perceived as a pay cut by lower-paid employees. Multiple staff urged surveys, exit-interview analysis and clearer communications; they asked that the council not trade away benefits (paid lunch, vacation rollover, insurance design) in a way that undermines retention even while pursing market-based pay adjustments.

Councilmembers and staff agreed on near-term next steps: Kim (compensation manager) will produce a department-by-department list of job classifications, head counts and fund sources; the council arranged a special session to meet with the budget consultant (Reedy) on Oct. 1 to run scenarios (1820/1950/2080-hour baselines) and produce a forecast of year-end operating balances before finalizing the 2027 budget.