July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

Council hears pay change requests (12/11/03)

Department heads ask for higher pay for employees

By By Mike [email protected]

Lengthy discussions about pay for three county employees resulted in a decision for only one.

And that one, an elected official who had planned to swap jobs with the incoming Jay County recorder, wasn’t pleased with the decision.

An otherwise brief end-of-the-year meeting of the Jay County Council was stretched Wednesday evening by lengthy discussions about the county’s pay plan and how it affects certain employees.

The shortest discussion was on a request for guidance made last month by recorder-elect Betty St. Myers, who said she planned to name current county recorder Judy LeMaster as her first deputy when St. Myers takes office Jan. 1.

St. Myers’ question was what should LeMaster be paid. Although she has been in office nearly eight full years, under the county’s pay plan she would be considered a new employee and would start at the minimum pay of $17,000.

There was some consideration of swapping salaries — something that was done at the beginning of 1999 when current Sheriff Todd Penrod swapped positions with outgoing sheriff Kip Robinette.

Under that scenario, LeMaster would receive a salary of $22,820.35 in 2004 — the same pay St. Myers is due to receive. The recorder’s salary will be $32,540.28 next year.

After a relatively brief discussion, members of the council voted 4-2 to keep the pay for first deputy recorder at the minimum level, prompting LeMaster to walk out of the meeting. St. Myers was unable to attend Wednesday’s meeting because of illness.

Council members Mark Barnett, Jack Houck, Gerald Kirby and George Meehan voted for a motion to pay the minimum for the position, with Marilyn Coleman and Todd Wickey voting no. Council president Andy Schemenaur Jr. was not required to vote and did not.

Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison also asked for the council to consider action in a situation that has occurred after he moved an employee in his office from bailiff (a pay grade 6 position) to court reporter (grade 7).

Under an amendment to the county’s personnel policy passed earlier this year, the employee’s new pay was determined by finding a wage under the new grade that was closest to, but not less than, the salary for the former position, accounting for an approximately $100 raise in annual salary.

But Hutchison said that because the auditor’s office has declined to move that employee a step ahead at the new pay grade for 2004 on the county’s 10-step pay plan, the employee will actually make less next year than she would have under her old pay grade.

“I would never promote someone in my office if it meant they were going to make less money,” said Hutchison, a former attorney who told council members he didn’t understand the amendments made to the personnel policy.

Auditor Freda Corwin, who also serves as the council’s secretary, said with no specific guidance in the county policy on intra-departmental transfers, she relied on a policy that says employees hired after June 30 will not receive a step up on the 10-step plan the following Jan. 1.

The goal of the pay plan is to take new employees from minimum to maximum pay in 10 steps over 11 years or so.

There was some sympathy to Hutchison’s request, but several council members expressed reluctance to make the change.

“My nervousness is over setting precedents,” Kirby said.

“Don’t ever hesitate to change a bad precedent,” Hutchison replied.

The council took no action on Hutchison’s request, and likewise took no action on another discussion about the administrative assistant at the Jay County Highway Department.

Highway superintendent Robert Sours, who is leaving the position Dec. 31 to become Portland’s police chief, once again asked the council to consider a pay raise for Shirley Bennett. During a routine re-evaluation of county jobs in 2001, the position of administrative assistant was changed to a pay grade 7 from a pay grade 6. Council policy at that time said that if an employee’s salary was higher than the minimum pay for the new pay grade, the salary would be frozen until the scale catches up.

That has happened to Bennett, and Sours said again Wednesday that if she would have received pay increases in the old pay grade that she would have been paid $3,000 more over a three-year period than her current salary.

“She’s done nothing wrong ... except fill out that job description,” Sours said.

Houck urged council members not to make adjustments. “We’ve got a plan. Let’s stick to it,” Houck said.

In other business Wednesday, council members:

•Approved an additional appropriation of $60,000 for Jay County Commissioners to purchase new software and hardware for the auditor’s office to manage the county’s financial needs. Corwin is unhappy with the service provided by current vendor Harris Inc. and wants to sign an agreement with BKD Inc. Also approved were an additional appropriation of $2,000 for superior court petit jurors and $100 to the Jay County Cemetery Commission for cemetery maintenance. Roy Leverich of the commission said that a donation of $100 was made from Simeon Bell for restoration of the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.

•OK’d transfers within the budgets of the auditor ($1,038.08 to office equipment from clerical; and $354 to office equipment from maintenance); and the recorder ($250 to part-time employees from postage).[[In-content Ad]]
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