SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - It took around two years, but a new pay scale will be in place for Sheboygan County employees starting next year. Supervisors approved the Decision Band Method Salary Range Tuesday, changing how much non-bargaining county employees are paid based on their position and performance.
County Administrator Adam Payne thanked all those who helped with the study and crafted the new ordinance for the county’s future. "And I believe it’s a major step forward to improve the competitiveness of our organization, and to make sure that we can attract and retain good employees," says Payne.
The pay scale does not change how much an employee is currently paid unless they are shifted in their classification. It does allow several hundred employees who were at their merit pay for their classification to be eligible for pay raises in the future years.
The ordinance did include one last amendment, which was brought up in the last month and championed by Supervisor Charlie Conrardy. The amendment allows 63 county employees who are above their pay range to be eligible for yearly merit pay, if eligible. "I think the people, even though there’s that few, they’re going to enjoy this and make their work a little more pleasant for the next few years that they work for us," says Conrardy.
The impact of this pay would be over $180,000 if all decided to stay on for another year in 2016 and all earned the eligible one-percent performance bonus. As the years go by, these employees would be nearing new pay ranges, so the impact of the added costs would diminished by 2020. Also, most of these employees are nearing retirement age and may choose to leave their job once they have that opportunity.
There were a few county board members not happy with the amendment, but most said they would support it in the spirit of compromise. The final vote count was 21 to 3 for the amendment, and 23 to 1 for the amended ordinance.