Tuesday morning’s Allen County Commission meeting saw a series of budget proposal presentations from department heads and discussion of a proposed tiered salary increase system. Commissioners agreed examining the tiered approach to the salary increase for county employees, as opposed to a flat percentage, would be a good starting point.
“I like the percentage increase,” said Commissioner Bruce Symes. “The dollar figure, in a way, helps equalize the standard of living among our employees. And there is value in that. But, I just haven’t been able to get by the penalization for the longer service employees. I tend toward the percentage myself.” Symes added that he believed a 3% flat increase would be realistic with projected inflation.
Conversely, commissioners David Lee and Jerry Daniels preferred the tiered method. County Clerk Shannon Patterson had proposed a tiered system that could either go by dollar amount or percentage. In this system, employees making up to $50,000 could either get a $1 increase to their hourly wages or 3%. Employees earning between $50,000 and $75,000 would see a 75-cent raise or 2%, and those employees earning $75,000 and higher would get a raise of 50 cents or 1%. This system would be strictly based on income and not years of service.
“The person on top will obviously make more money than the person on the bottom,” said Lee, referring to a flat percentage increase. “I don’t think we’re having a problem keeping employees on the upper echelon of the pay scale. We’re having trouble keeping employees on the bottom.”
Daniels noted he is in favor of the tiered system. “Whether it be percentage or dollar amount,” he clarified. He noted that senior employees getting a 3% raise across the board is “a lot of money” compared to a new employee with a 3% increase.
Symes acknowledged that he respected the other commissioners’ opinions, but more should be considered when it comes to the higher paying salaries. “I will say that even those who aren’t necessarily longtime employees, but they make more, I keep in mind responsibility, supervision and skill level,” he said. “They’re getting paid more for a reason.” He added that he was seeing the commission’s consensus shift from a strict percentage point. “That’s fine,” he said.
Commissioners agreed the tiered-approach was a good “stepping in” point, but have not decided on what the specific figures will be presently. Daniels noted that the dollar amount increase version of the tiered system would result in a larger raise for employees than the percentage option.
IN BUDGET proposals, the commission heard from several department heads about their funding needs. Most remained relatively close to the previous year’s budget with only minor adjustments. One of the bigger requests came from 911 Director Chelsie Decker. She had included a budget request for $100,000 to replace three existing consoles for dispatch and add a fourth one. She explained the additional console is to address the potential of consolidation with another county’s 911 services. “That’s a reality right now in the 911 industry,” she said. “If we do absorb anyone in our region, we are going to need an additional console.”
The three existing consoles were acquired in 2007.
Lee asked if replacing them one at a time could be a possibility. “You typically do it all at once,” said Decker. “You shut down for a short amount of time to remove all of the computer equipment.” She stressed that nobody locally does this work, so the department would have to pay an installation fee, labor fee and delivery fee four separate times if they did it in piecemeal fashion.
If consolidation were to happen, the department would absorb a county that would pay for the 911 services. “That’s becoming a very real conversation for a lot of rural agencies,” said Decker. “Our location puts us right in the middle of it.” She clarified that, since she has been in the department, they have not been approached about consolidation.
Symes followed up by saying he doesn’t want to dissuade the department from growing via consolidation, but if it’s not currently on the table, perhaps purchasing three consoles would be more feasible. “For the budgetary route, I just wanted to be sure to cover us there,” Decker said. She added that the $100,000 isn’t a firm amount requested, it could be less. “I would imagine that the actual cost will be less than the budget proposal,” she said.
Other departments presenting to the commission included Public Works, Road and Bridge, County Clerk, County Treasurer, and the Appraiser’s Office.
“I appreciate all of the department heads and their hard work keeping these where they could. We’ve got some tough decisions coming up,” said Symes.
Next week, the commission will hear budget proposals from the Sheriff’s Department and conservation district.
