Monroe County’s practice of granting employee salary boosts based on experience and skillset remains in place but will come back for another discussion and possible vote.
When a county department head believes an applicant has a high-level skillset for a job opening, a request can be made to the full county council to add a Knowledge, Skills and Abilities label to the application. If the council approves, the applicant is paid a higher salary than the base level.
Pausing the practice was raised as a possible savings measure to combat impending property tax revenue losses caused by Senate Bill 1.
Related: County says it cannot do more with less
The resolution before council Tuesday night would have placed a pause on the practice until December 31, but councilmembers chose to delay further discussion until the next regular meeting on May 27.
The main point of concern raised by council was the lack of specific data regarding county employees who have earned the pay boost and how that has affected county finances over the last few years.
Council staff said Tuesday that only 54 county employees received that pay boost since 2018, with only 11 receiving the highest level of boost available.
Councilmember David Henry said that number doesn’t seem too impactful.
“The statistical significance of that number is intriguing to me,” Henry said. “It doesn't feel like that's where we're going to find the savings as we're trying to sort through SB 1 around here is on the KSAs as opposed to things like salary adjustments.”
Councilmember Marty Hawk said she has always been against the practice and would vote to pause.
However, Hawk did vote alongside the rest of the full council earlier in the meeting to approve a Knowledge, Skill and Abilities label for a county deputy prosecutor position. She said the overwhelming experience offered by the applicant was an example of an earned pay boost.
Hawk voted against adding a Knowledge, Skill and Abilities label to the two Administrative Coordinator positions with the sheriff’s office.