09-15-1997 BUDGET - Laserfiche WebLink

Commission Minutes--September 15, 1997 1706 Mr. Steiner said he has had difficulty filling a vacant position in his department and asked the Commission to address the market pay contingency policy. He stated he had 11 applicants for the position last time it was advertised, however, none of them met the minimum qualifications. County Coordinator, Bonnie Johnson, said the Personnel Overview Committee has, in the past, reviewed and approved starting an employee above the minimum advertised for the position, depending upon experience. Mr. Steiner said he does not believe the salary range for this position, as currently classified by Fox Lawson & Associates, is high enough to attract and recruit people. Mr. VVieland suggested working with Mr. Steiner in the next week or two to look at creative ways to resolve this situation within the confines of county policy. Mr. Koenig suggested it is the responsibility of the personnel office, and Mrs. Quick said she will also work with Ms. Johnson and Mr. Steiner on this issue. SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, Represented by Attorney Robert Hoy Attorney Robert Hoy was present representing a number of deputies in the Cass County Sheriff's Department concerning the 1997 salary and benefits survey recently completed by Fox Lawson & Associates. He commended Cass County Government for recognizing the need for a salary classification system and for implementing a study to keep it updated. He said the current salary study confirmed what the deputies thought, that they trail the market even more than the 12% average found in the study. The problem, as Mr. Hoy sees it, is that the top of the salary scale was cut off when the mid-point became the market pay for each classified position. He suggested putting the top half of the pay scale back together so it operates the way is was designed to operate. Also, Mr. Hoy suggested doing a salary survey on an annual basis rather than every three years. If the Fox Lawson proposal were adopted for 1998, the county would still be one year behind in paying the new wage, he said. In discussing options for implementing survey results, Mr. Hoy said the deputies are proposing that the county amortize the amount they are trailing the market over the next three years in order to get them up to the market pay for their particular jobs. He said the deputies realize it would be difficult to implement the new scale in one year's time, due to budget restraints. Mrs. Schneider asked if they are proposing to amortize the 12-15% over the next three years, and Mr. Hoy said he believes the deputies should be looked at separately because they are beyond other county averages. OTHER EMPLOYEES, OF~ortunity to address the board Mr. Wieland invited comments from anyone else in the audience. Addressing the Commission at this time were Jim Thoreson, Sheriff's Department, and Steve Dawson, Assistant State's Attorney. Mr. Thoreson said the timing of this survey was unfortunate in that it did not arrive at the county until almost mid-September. He suggested that future survey results be received by May or June, prior to beginning budget sessions. Mr. Dawson encouraged the commission to consider Mr. Hoy's concept of amortizing the pay schedule over the next three years because he believes employees realize the county would not have the money available to implement it all at one time. He suggested placing employees on the pay scale at the step where they should be, however, paying 90% next year and 95% in the next two