The Pulaski County Council is streamlining the county’s salary matrix. Last week, council members approved a revision that does away with a probationary pay level for new employees.
Council Member Ken Boswell felt the change would make things easier for all county departments that are hiring. “We had a zero-to-six-month at 70 percent roughly, and then, at the end of six months, you went up to the 80 percent,” Boswell explained. “We’ve asked that that be removed, that we hire our people in at their regular pay rate that they’d be making at the end of the six months or at the six-month transition. Hopefully, that will help us be able to bring in some new hires.”
Boswell said the update should also mean less work for the Auditor’s Office, by reducing the frequency of wage adjustments. However, new employees will still have a probationary period when it comes to benefits.
Meanwhile, newly-elected council member Kathi Thompson agreed to join Boswell and Scott Hinkle on the council’s matrix committee. It reviews various salary-related issues and makes recommendations to the full council.
