Pulaski County leaders remain split on the need for an outside analysis of the county government’s pay scales and staffing. Accounting firm Baker Tilly has offered to do the first phase of the study for $30,000, about a $5,000 decrease from last year’s proposal, according to Community Development Commission Executive Director Nathan Origer.
“[It’s] an opportunity assessment that involves a lot of conversations with county personnel, review of existing plans and budgets that the county has, review of department staffing and statistics, performance goals and objectives that any departments have,” Origer told the county council this month. He said that adding the second phase and various add-ons could drive the total cost as high as almost $72,000.
Council Member Kathi Thompson felt the study was necessary, in order to give council members some information to go off of when department heads request pay and benefit adjustments. “When we have someone from Highway saying ‘I can get paid a whole lot more by driving further,’ but if we put our benefit package against there, are they really getting more pay? We don’t know. We don’t know the answer,” Thompson said.
While pay levels are easy to research, other counties’ benefit information can be a bit harder to track down.
Still, Council Member Rudy DeSabatine wanted to slow down before hiring an outside company. “I’m not in favor of it at all,” he said. “Why don’t we give the new commissioners and the new councilmen a chance to do their job? Nobody’s given anybody a chance. It’s all of a sudden, ‘Hey, $50,000. Let’s do some research.’”
In the end, the council voted four-to-three in favor of advertising an additional appropriation of almost $72,000 in County Economic Development Income Tax funds. That’s not a commitment, but it allows council members to discuss the proposal more in February and then make a decision on whether or not to allow the necessary funds to be spent.
During a follow-up discussion at last week’s county commissioners meeting, Board President Chuck Mellon said he’d like to discuss the matter further during next month’s joint session with the county council. But he said he’d like county officials to try doing a self-assessment first, before spending $70,000 on a study.
