Commissioners approve county-wide pay increase

The study found that a handful of position were at or above the max rate after receiving wage increases in 2020, 2021 and a 3% cost-of-living increase in 2022, while others were being paid below market rate and needed to adjusted.

“I think the wage study is a good thing,” commissioner Trish Giordano said. “There are people who are not being paid what they should be paid as long-time employees. … I think with this study, it’s going to bring people where they should be and is going to keep us competitive in the market.”

The original proposed cost-of-living increase of 5.1% for 2023 was found not to be feasible after the salary adjustments, which left the county searching to find an alternative way to increase salaries across the board while staying within their proposed budget.

With the 1% increase on the table, commissioner Alex Tyson proposed a 2% increase which would have put the county over the salary budget of $678,044.

Finance officer Tammy Robinson suggested, in order to not affect employees’ base pay rate further, that they keep the 1% cost-of-living increase and add a 1% incentive pay bonus.

The total cost of both equaled $710,988, which the county could pay for if they eliminated four corrections officer positions. The commissioners agreed and voted unanimously for the increase.

The commissioners also voted in favor of adding a half-time position for the register of deeds office, another full-time attorney for the county, a full-time equipment operator for the public works department, up to $20,000 for volunteers helping with fire department and a reclassification of a marketing assistant at the conventions and visitors bureau to a assistant director/marketing assistant.