July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Pay decisions defended (8/25/05)
Council questioned by judge, doctor
By By Mike Snyder-
Questions about pay for certain county employees dominated discussions prior to the first reading of next year’s budget.
Members of the Jay County Council, who gathered Wednesday for the first formal review of the 2006 budget, found themselves defending a decision made in the past and two more recent decisions regarding pay issues.
The council, which approved the budget on first reading, agreed by consensus to stand firm on decisions regarding part-time pay for a health department employee, the freezing of a probation department employee’s wage level and cutting $2,500 that would have been paid to a person who currently volunteers with the county emergency management agency.
The total county budget, which is comprised of seven different tax funds, is nearly $4.4 million, which almost exactly matches the maximum amount the county can raise through property taxes, or the maximum levy.
Next year’s budget requests increased about $237,000, or 5.3 percent, over the current year.
Non-salary items cut from budget requests totaled less than $8,000, including $2,500 each from emergency management and Jay/Portland Building and Planning.
Members of the council engaged in relatively lengthy discussions with Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison and Jay County health officer Dr. Stephen Myron over pay plan issues affecting the probation department and all part-time employees.
Hutchison, speaking on behalf of the probation secretary, whose wage level will remain the same in 2006 as it has been the past two years. The situation arose because the pay grade for the position was lowered two years ago, and the person filling that position was making significantly more than the minimum starting pay for the new pay grade.
The council decided at that time that when pay grades change, the employees should start at the minimum for that new grade. Since then, the council has adopted a policy stating that in the case of new job pay grades, employees should move to a pay level within the new grade that is equal, but not less than, the former pay level.
But the council also decided, and affirmed last year, that it would not make such changes retroactive.
“The council decided ... not to go back,” said council member Marilyn Coleman. “I’d love to change it, but I don’t think we can ... I feel like we’re opening a can of worms if we do.”
Councilman Todd Wickey expressed the most sympathy for the request, but eventually agreed with his fellow council members and went with the status quo.
“Pandora’s Box, can of worms ... I’ve heard them all ... I think the system’s good, (but) at a minimum I think we should give her 2.44 percent (cost of living raise),” Wickey said.
Council president Jack Houck, who was vocal in his support of past council decisions, said, “In my mind we leave (the pay level for the probation secretary) there. I may sound like an old Scrooge ...”
Myron, a former member of the council, urged the council to consider giving all regular part-time positions in the county a pay grade to promote equity — something Myron said he and former councilman Michael Hunt were going to propose before they decided not to run for re-election several years ago.
“It doesn’t make any sense that you exclude this whole group of people (from the pay plan) just because they’re part-time. It’s the last part of the pay plan that needs to be fixed,” said Myron, who said that county employees who work regular hours but fewer than 35 or 40 hours per week save the county money because they are not eligible for fringe benefits.
The issue came to Myron’s attention because of the council’s decision at budget hearings earlier this month to freeze the pay for the part-time immunization clerk at $10.04 per hour, which is well above the level for most other part-time clerical help in the county ($7.50 in 2006).
Myron said he wasn’t asking for a pay raise for the position, pointing out that if the job were classified as a pay level 6, as it was for several years after it was created in the late 1990s, the hourly pay for this year would be $9.32 per hour.
Myron said he felt that all part-time positions which work regularly scheduled hours should be included in the pay plan.
But Coleman, who served as county clerk and auditor, said, “To me, (part-time employees are) either all in or all out (of the pay plan).”
Also Wednesday, the council affirmed an earlier decision to cut $2,500 from the budget of the emergency management agency as a stipend for a deputy director who currently serves on a volunteer basis.
EMA director Ralph Frazee opened the meeting by questioning why the cut was made.
“We just didn’t see at this time paying him. He’s doing a fine job volunteering,” Houck said of deputy director Jim Bruner.
“I’ll tell him,” Frazee replied.[[In-content Ad]]
Members of the Jay County Council, who gathered Wednesday for the first formal review of the 2006 budget, found themselves defending a decision made in the past and two more recent decisions regarding pay issues.
The council, which approved the budget on first reading, agreed by consensus to stand firm on decisions regarding part-time pay for a health department employee, the freezing of a probation department employee’s wage level and cutting $2,500 that would have been paid to a person who currently volunteers with the county emergency management agency.
The total county budget, which is comprised of seven different tax funds, is nearly $4.4 million, which almost exactly matches the maximum amount the county can raise through property taxes, or the maximum levy.
Next year’s budget requests increased about $237,000, or 5.3 percent, over the current year.
Non-salary items cut from budget requests totaled less than $8,000, including $2,500 each from emergency management and Jay/Portland Building and Planning.
Members of the council engaged in relatively lengthy discussions with Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison and Jay County health officer Dr. Stephen Myron over pay plan issues affecting the probation department and all part-time employees.
Hutchison, speaking on behalf of the probation secretary, whose wage level will remain the same in 2006 as it has been the past two years. The situation arose because the pay grade for the position was lowered two years ago, and the person filling that position was making significantly more than the minimum starting pay for the new pay grade.
The council decided at that time that when pay grades change, the employees should start at the minimum for that new grade. Since then, the council has adopted a policy stating that in the case of new job pay grades, employees should move to a pay level within the new grade that is equal, but not less than, the former pay level.
But the council also decided, and affirmed last year, that it would not make such changes retroactive.
“The council decided ... not to go back,” said council member Marilyn Coleman. “I’d love to change it, but I don’t think we can ... I feel like we’re opening a can of worms if we do.”
Councilman Todd Wickey expressed the most sympathy for the request, but eventually agreed with his fellow council members and went with the status quo.
“Pandora’s Box, can of worms ... I’ve heard them all ... I think the system’s good, (but) at a minimum I think we should give her 2.44 percent (cost of living raise),” Wickey said.
Council president Jack Houck, who was vocal in his support of past council decisions, said, “In my mind we leave (the pay level for the probation secretary) there. I may sound like an old Scrooge ...”
Myron, a former member of the council, urged the council to consider giving all regular part-time positions in the county a pay grade to promote equity — something Myron said he and former councilman Michael Hunt were going to propose before they decided not to run for re-election several years ago.
“It doesn’t make any sense that you exclude this whole group of people (from the pay plan) just because they’re part-time. It’s the last part of the pay plan that needs to be fixed,” said Myron, who said that county employees who work regular hours but fewer than 35 or 40 hours per week save the county money because they are not eligible for fringe benefits.
The issue came to Myron’s attention because of the council’s decision at budget hearings earlier this month to freeze the pay for the part-time immunization clerk at $10.04 per hour, which is well above the level for most other part-time clerical help in the county ($7.50 in 2006).
Myron said he wasn’t asking for a pay raise for the position, pointing out that if the job were classified as a pay level 6, as it was for several years after it was created in the late 1990s, the hourly pay for this year would be $9.32 per hour.
Myron said he felt that all part-time positions which work regularly scheduled hours should be included in the pay plan.
But Coleman, who served as county clerk and auditor, said, “To me, (part-time employees are) either all in or all out (of the pay plan).”
Also Wednesday, the council affirmed an earlier decision to cut $2,500 from the budget of the emergency management agency as a stipend for a deputy director who currently serves on a volunteer basis.
EMA director Ralph Frazee opened the meeting by questioning why the cut was made.
“We just didn’t see at this time paying him. He’s doing a fine job volunteering,” Houck said of deputy director Jim Bruner.
“I’ll tell him,” Frazee replied.[[In-content Ad]]
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