County Employees Get Pay Hikes
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Human Resource Director Ron Robinson will be the new county administrator beginning next year. With his new job title comes an increase in pay of $10,539.90, putting his salary at $51,542.
Robinson's duties will not significantliy change with the change in job description. "It's really not going to change. It's the same work I've done the last four years," Robinson said.
He is not the only executive in county government who will see pay sharply increase in 1999. Under the new wage structure, the county council and the county commissioners will also see a hike in their pay for 1999.
Members of the county council will see their pay increase from $3,510 to $5,260, a 50 percent increase. The commissioners will have a pay raise from $10,660 to $13,782, a 29 percent increase.
County employees can attribute their salary increases to the new wage structure approved by the county council Thursday.
Employees who were hired in 1998 will see no increase for 1999, while others, like the council and the commissioners, will see a big gain. Employees who are already above the new pay scale will see only a $200 increase.
In the old system, county employees may not have seen increases in their pay for three years, Robinson said Monday. If they did see an increase, it was either a 3 percent raise or a dollar amount straight across the board. The old system did not take into account factors of the job or employee qualifications.
The new system was structured by the consulting firm of Wagoner, Irwin and Scheele and Associates Inc., from Muncie, during the past year. The firm recommended that the wage structure be set at 95 percent of the market value for 1999. An additional 5 percent will be implemented for 2000 if the county council approves in 1999.
The market value was based on counties immediately adjacent to Kosciusko within a 50-mile radius of the county's borders, and private sector jobs similar to those in the county. The top 10 and the bottom 10 percent were cut off and the middle of the remainder was used for the average.
The first step for setting the 1999 wages was an evaluation in each department of each job. Several factors helped determine the points awarded for the pay grade.
For example, factors for jobs in the highway department include employee skills, job responsibilities, physical effort required and the working conditions of the job. The four areas of evaluation are factored and the job function receives points based on how the job meets the factors.
The lowest set of points for the highway department pay grade is 200 to 295 points. A new hire for a job within that point range will receive a starting salary of $7.89 per hour. A six-year employee of the highway department whose job function is within that point range will receive $9.13 per hour.
However, a new hire at the highway department who has experience or more education may be boosted up to the $9.13 wage.
The highest point range for the highway department is 440 points and above. A new employee who fills a job function that meets the criteria for such high points will receive $12.23 an hour. A six-year employee of the highway department who fills a job function that is 440 points and above will see a salary of $14.15 per hour.
Any employee who wants to improve their salary can obtain a higher rate of pay by improving their education, receiving more training or taking on more responsibilities in some departments. Through the wage and salary structure, it is possible for a $7.89-an-hour employee to reach a $14.15-an-hour salary.
The highway department is part of the LTC (labor, trades and crafts) category of the wage structure. Other categories, whose salaries or wages are based on different criteria and result in different salary benefits, include the COMOT (clerical, office machine operation, technicians); the PAT (professional, administrative, technological); the POLE (matron, patrol officers, corporal, road sergeant, detective sergeant, lieutenant, captain); the civilian POLE (work release officer, animal control officer, civilian jailer, work release assistant director, dispatcher, chief comm. officer); and the EXE (executives).
Salary for COMOT ranges from $16,613 a year for a hire-in at 300 to 355 points, up to $25,062 for a six-year employee with 500 or more points.
PAT hire-ins with 200 to 295 points receive $21,023 a year, while a six-year employee with 515 points and above may receive $44,539 a year.
Merit POLE salaries range from $25,389 for the matron to $31,924 for the captain in 1999. Civilian POLE salaries range from $20,115 for a work release officer to $26,361 a year for the chief commanding officer.
Executives may receive $43,443 a year in their first year if their job function is between 30 to 38 points. After their first year, they may receive up to $51,542 if their job function is within 40 to 48 points.
The part-time salary scale for 1999 will be the same as the 1998 part-time salary except for three areas. The per diem for the drainage board, area plan commission and zoning board will increase from $50 to $75. Housekeeping will see an increase of hourly pay from $7 to $7.43 an hour. [[In-content Ad]]
Human Resource Director Ron Robinson will be the new county administrator beginning next year. With his new job title comes an increase in pay of $10,539.90, putting his salary at $51,542.
Robinson's duties will not significantliy change with the change in job description. "It's really not going to change. It's the same work I've done the last four years," Robinson said.
He is not the only executive in county government who will see pay sharply increase in 1999. Under the new wage structure, the county council and the county commissioners will also see a hike in their pay for 1999.
Members of the county council will see their pay increase from $3,510 to $5,260, a 50 percent increase. The commissioners will have a pay raise from $10,660 to $13,782, a 29 percent increase.
County employees can attribute their salary increases to the new wage structure approved by the county council Thursday.
Employees who were hired in 1998 will see no increase for 1999, while others, like the council and the commissioners, will see a big gain. Employees who are already above the new pay scale will see only a $200 increase.
In the old system, county employees may not have seen increases in their pay for three years, Robinson said Monday. If they did see an increase, it was either a 3 percent raise or a dollar amount straight across the board. The old system did not take into account factors of the job or employee qualifications.
The new system was structured by the consulting firm of Wagoner, Irwin and Scheele and Associates Inc., from Muncie, during the past year. The firm recommended that the wage structure be set at 95 percent of the market value for 1999. An additional 5 percent will be implemented for 2000 if the county council approves in 1999.
The market value was based on counties immediately adjacent to Kosciusko within a 50-mile radius of the county's borders, and private sector jobs similar to those in the county. The top 10 and the bottom 10 percent were cut off and the middle of the remainder was used for the average.
The first step for setting the 1999 wages was an evaluation in each department of each job. Several factors helped determine the points awarded for the pay grade.
For example, factors for jobs in the highway department include employee skills, job responsibilities, physical effort required and the working conditions of the job. The four areas of evaluation are factored and the job function receives points based on how the job meets the factors.
The lowest set of points for the highway department pay grade is 200 to 295 points. A new hire for a job within that point range will receive a starting salary of $7.89 per hour. A six-year employee of the highway department whose job function is within that point range will receive $9.13 per hour.
However, a new hire at the highway department who has experience or more education may be boosted up to the $9.13 wage.
The highest point range for the highway department is 440 points and above. A new employee who fills a job function that meets the criteria for such high points will receive $12.23 an hour. A six-year employee of the highway department who fills a job function that is 440 points and above will see a salary of $14.15 per hour.
Any employee who wants to improve their salary can obtain a higher rate of pay by improving their education, receiving more training or taking on more responsibilities in some departments. Through the wage and salary structure, it is possible for a $7.89-an-hour employee to reach a $14.15-an-hour salary.
The highway department is part of the LTC (labor, trades and crafts) category of the wage structure. Other categories, whose salaries or wages are based on different criteria and result in different salary benefits, include the COMOT (clerical, office machine operation, technicians); the PAT (professional, administrative, technological); the POLE (matron, patrol officers, corporal, road sergeant, detective sergeant, lieutenant, captain); the civilian POLE (work release officer, animal control officer, civilian jailer, work release assistant director, dispatcher, chief comm. officer); and the EXE (executives).
Salary for COMOT ranges from $16,613 a year for a hire-in at 300 to 355 points, up to $25,062 for a six-year employee with 500 or more points.
PAT hire-ins with 200 to 295 points receive $21,023 a year, while a six-year employee with 515 points and above may receive $44,539 a year.
Merit POLE salaries range from $25,389 for the matron to $31,924 for the captain in 1999. Civilian POLE salaries range from $20,115 for a work release officer to $26,361 a year for the chief commanding officer.
Executives may receive $43,443 a year in their first year if their job function is between 30 to 38 points. After their first year, they may receive up to $51,542 if their job function is within 40 to 48 points.
The part-time salary scale for 1999 will be the same as the 1998 part-time salary except for three areas. The per diem for the drainage board, area plan commission and zoning board will increase from $50 to $75. Housekeeping will see an increase of hourly pay from $7 to $7.43 an hour. [[In-content Ad]]