County board ponders pay rates when jobs are reclassified

If a county employee’s job description is upgraded to a higher classification because of new responsibilities, what should be done about that employee’s rate of pay? The county board deliberated this at its regular meeting Tuesday, May 10, 2011.

Since 1984 when the county started implementing a job classification system called the Decision Band Method, policies have varied regarding changes in pay rates when job classifications are upgraded or downgraded. Within each salary range classification is an additional series of steps that are related to years of job experience. The policy adopted in 1984 kept the employee at the same salary or paid them at the minimum level of the new range, whichever was higher, when a position was upgraded. In 1988, the policy changed, placing the employee at whatever step paid just above the rate he or she had previously been getting paid, guaranteeing a pay raise.

Commissioner Bruce Martinson, on the county’s Personnel Committee, was asked to talk to the board about changing the policy so that an employee would keep the same step level in the new classification when his or her job was upgraded. This would result in a pay raise a bit higher than the one an employee would get with the current policy.

Commissioner Fritz Sobanja made a statement about the step system, saying that increasing pay with years of experience seems to favor the unions. He wondered what the county would do if its funding does not increase.

Commissioner Jan Hall said she has heard of newer types of pay structures and offered to work with Personnel Director Janet Simonen on researching them. The board took no action and will stay with the current policy for now.

The board approved upgrades to two positions in the Soil and Water Department. The program assistant and district manager job descriptions will now reflect additional responsibilities taken on when job duties were reconfigured over the last year after former Conservation Technician Tristan Beaster’s position was not refilled.

That evening, several commissioners and county employees attended a public meeting regarding the new community center. One of the issues discussed was how to bring projected operating costs down. The Community Center Committee is considering various options for containing personnel costs, including the possibility of having an entity other than the county employ people to work there.