“I think it will help our employees and they will appreciate it and it will let them know how much we appreciate them. It will definitely help their feelings and help boost their morale,” he said.

Sheriff Ramsey Bennett called the pay overhaul “the most significant event in Pierce County in 100 years.”

All county employees will receive raises. Increases average between $1,700 and $1,800, with the largest being $6,900. The changes will take effect on April 23.

Chairman Bennett said the cost of salaries will be covered by $475,000 in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and nearly $280,000 more from the county’s provident fund. The ARRA funding is part of the COVID-19 relief approved by Congress in recent years.

Tuesday’s decision is the culmination of about four months of hard work to review wages for county employees.

First District Commissioner Harold Rozier Jr. first requested the salary study in December and Third District Commissioner Randy Dixon set March 31, 2022 as the target date for its completion.

The commissioners contracted with Excellence Exceeded in January for the amount of $20,000.

Scott Johnson with Excellence Exceeded from Augusta gave a presentation on the salary study at the commission meeting.

Johnson said the process is a complicated one. He said the company compared all Pierce County positions and job descriptions to those of 10 other counties of similar size in terms of population and budget.

Johnson said he worked with County Executive Jason Rubenbauer, County Chairman Neal Bennett, Sheriff Bennett and Court Clerk Thomas Sauls.

Johnson said the group had structured compensation levels based on employee longevity and also factored in cost-of-living adjustments.

Prior to the vote, Commissioner Rozier asked about adding a merit pay element to the salary structure to reward good employees.

“The merit pay system has been tried many times in the past and it doesn’t work because it’s not applied in the same way,” the sheriff said. “We need someone in leadership positions who is willing to honestly assess an employee’s job performance and who is willing to fire them if necessary. I will say goodbye to them if they are unable to do the job.

Right after Rozier and the sheriff began discussing merit pay, Second District Commissioner Mike Streat was ready to make a decision.

Streat asked the president to call the question, a parliamentary procedure designed to force a vote.

President Bennett allowed Sheriff Bennett to finish his response before asking the question.

After the vote, Fourth District Commissioner David Lowman congratulated Johnson and everyone who worked on the salary study.

“I applaud you all. I know it was a lot of work. And, we met the deadline.

“Public safety was about 20% out of balance compared to other counties of a similar size,” Johnson said.

Sheriff Bennett said he can attest first-hand to the county’s “major problem” in recruiting, training and retaining staff.

“I have 10 road assistants – on paper,” he said. “I’ve only staffed the sheriff’s office with six people in the last few weeks.”

Bennett gave an example using the 10 assistant positions and call statistics for the month of March.

“Based on call volume and spreading it out over 10 MPs, we answered one call every 35 minutes,” he said. “It may not seem like much, but you’ve cut that number in half. I work with six assistants. When one call is at Offerman and the next at Sandy Bottom, it’s hard to get there.

Bennett said four MPs have left in recent weeks.

“I had four to leave – all for better pay and all went to law enforcement in surrounding counties and towns. Even Bacon County is paying more than us.

The sheriff pointed out that Pierce County was also losing money training new officers only to have them go elsewhere for higher pay.

“If you hire a new officer, send him to the academy, train him, equip him and outfit him, you’ve invested about $50,000 before you can put him on the road to work,” he said. he declares. “We lose that when we can’t keep them here to work.”

The sheriff sought approval of the salary study recommendations and salary increases.

“We can do better. It is imperative that we do something for public safety,” he said. “We’re asking an officer to strap on a gun and go out there and risk his life for our citizens and we’re only going to pay them $13.97 an hour when they can earn $2 more an hour in the neighboring county.”

Sauls pointed out that the new pay scale structure is much better than the old one.

He used an illustration of his office to explain the disparity experienced by employees under the old pay scale.

“I had an employee who started with me 15 years ago at a starting rate of $7 an hour,” he said. “Thanks to longevity and increases in the cost of living, this employee now earns $13 an hour. Currently, someone who comes in and starts working would earn $12 an hour under the old system. It’s just not fair or just.