County plans pay increase for employees
WAYNESBURG – Greene County commissioners are preparing to update their compensation standards that would increase “longevity” bonuses and cost-of-living increases for county employees.
County Clerk Jeff Marshall called the updates “housekeeping” to put past policies and procedures into writing while offering more competitive salaries for workers.
“We never really had it written in black and white for what cost-of-living adjustments were for people who received positive reviews or promotions,” Marshall said.
The commissioners agreed during their Wednesday morning workshop meeting to put the policy changes on the agenda so it can be voted on at today’s regular meeting.
One change would boost the “longevity increase” given to nonunion, full-time employees every four years from $750 per cycle to $1,250.
There was also no written policy on cost-of-living pay increases, so the update will give the county a uniform procedure, Marshall said.
The policies allows the commissioners to declare an increase each year on July 1 for full-time and regular part-time nonunion employees based on the consumer price index for either one year or a three-year average. The proposed policy states that the commissioners have the right to adjust COLAs above or below the price index and can declare salary increase moratoriums because of budgetary constraints.
Employees who are promoted will be entitled to a 5 percent salary increase.
“Everyone knows what’s expected now and we’re showing that the commissioners appreciate them staying with the county,” Marshall said.
The previous compensation plan had separate sections in the employee handbook, Marshall said, so county officials want to remove one of those subsections and streamline them under one title.
Also during Wednesday’s workshop meeting, the commissioners voted to place on today’s agenda a motion to extend the final design plan deadline from Widmer Engineering for County Bridge 36 over Robert Run in Wayne Township to Dec. 30, 2016. Marshall said they want to extend the deadline by 18 months to help spread the county’s annual state funding to other bridge projects currently under construction.