Salary board approves pay raises for nonunion county employees
The county salary board on Wednesday, Sept. 27, approved pay raises slated to take effect next year for 151 nonunion employees.
The raises — which would add $323,000 in wages to next year’s budget, as well as other costs, including pension benefits — were approved in a series of 3-1 votes, with Leslie Osche, chairwoman of the county commissioners, dissenting.
The three commissioners and controller Ben Holland comprise the salary board, which met before the commissioners’ meeting.
The raises increase the annual salary or hourly wages by the greater of 3% or $2,000 for all eligible, full-time, nonunion department and agency employees, court employees and employees in the clerk of courts, controller, coroner, district attorney, prothonotary, register of wills, recorder of deeds, sheriff and treasurer offices, beginning Jan. 1.
Osche said she supports 3% raises, but isn’t comfortable with the $2,000 flat rate increase for some of the employees, because of pay grade issues, and because many of the employees received raises this year, including some of 5%.
She said she was willing to consider permanent pay adjustments for employees in lower pay grades.
The raises were discussed at length in an executive session held Tuesday, Osche added.
When she began serving as a commissioner in 2016, she said employees were given stipends instead of raises as a cost savings to help the commissioners rebuild a depleted fund balance.
The commissioners eventually adopted a compensation policy that provides an objective basis to set pay rates and pay grades, and allows for reviews, which have resulted in raises, Osche said.
The move discussed Wednesday to raise pay “feels like we’re abandoning what we set forth,” she said.
Over the years, she said she has heard some employees complain that employees in the higher pay grades advance faster than employees in lower grades.
Osche said she considers the new raises to be one-time raises beyond the established policy, but they could set a precedent for future salary and wage negotiations.
She said she was “awake all night” contemplating the raise proposals.
Commissioner Kevin Boozel called the raises an “investment in employees,” and said the raises were a compromise.
The initial proposals called for a $3,000 flat increase for all of the nonunion employees, Osche said.
Holland said the $3,000 raises would have added $450,000 in wages to next year’s budget.
Commissioner Kim Geyer said reaching the compromise was difficult, but the compensation policy remains in effect and the raises treat employees like they are investments instead of costs.
“I’m looking at this as a one-time thing,” Geyer said.
Holland called the budget impact of the approved raises “tolerable.”
He said the compensation policy isn’t perfect, but it is objective.
Holland also said he would like a merit system for pay raises but creating such a system would be difficult.
Osche said she would have supported slightly larger raises combined with permanently raising the starting pay rates for employees in lower grades.
Treasurer Diane Marburger said she likes the raises because they will benefit her staff and help employees who have been “stuck for years” at fixed pay rates.
During the commissioners’ meeting, commissioners voted 2-1 against eliminating the $50 per month fee that employees and elected officials must pay to park in the interior garage on the bottom floor of the Butler County Government Center. Osche and Geyer voted against the motion.
