The goal to make the county employee compensation similar to other local counties is within reach but at a cost.
Members of the compensation committee presented their early findings to the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday. The committee is comprised of council members Brett Cating, Steve Loy and Jake Bohlander. Also, county financial consultant Jeff Peters and county attorney Dan Taylor meet with the committee as consultants.
The county recently received a wage study conducted by Waggoner, Irwin, Sheele & Associates. The report showed there is a “disparity in pay and a need for updated job descriptions,”said Cating, the committee spokesman.
He stressed that the presentation is not a final recommendation from the wage committee.
“This is the big picture, and we are trying to finalize numbers,” Cating said. “We feel it is important to get an increase for all employees depending on where they fall (in the new compensation guidelines).”
Cating said it will cost the county approximately $600,000 to get the lower tiered employees to a more competitive wage. If all employees received pay raises, then the additional payroll amount would increase by $900,000 over the 2024 budget.
“The county is in good financial shape,” Cating said. “But we want to make sure we stay in good shape in the future. There is a lot of work yet to be done before we come up with our final recommendations.”
Several council members spoke after Cating’s comments. The committee was complimented by several council members.
Cating said the committee’s progress is in line with the upcoming budget process so changes can take effect in 2025.
Montgomery County Auditor Mindy Byers presented the initial county budget that will be sent to the state. Byers said the 2025 estimated budget is $47,874,893. The 2024 budget approved by the state was $45,553,095.
Byers said the 2025 assessed valuation she received from the state saw an increase of $112 million or 4 percent increase over 2024. Total assessed valuation for the county is $2.8 billion.
Montgomery County Sheriff Ryan Needham got the nod from the council to gather bids and estimates for several repair projects at the jail. Needham plans to use funds from the Safety Local Income Tax to pay for the work.
The council has scheduled budget meetings at 6 p.m. Aug. 26 and Aug. 27 to hear proposed budgets from elected officials and department heads.
The next regular council meeting is 9 a.m. Sept. 10. All three council meetings will be held at the county government center.
