Considers 4% wage increase after market analysis

ELLSWORTH — At the Oct. 27 Pierce County Board of Supervisors meeting, the board reviewed (first reading) a list of new positions recommended by department heads for 2023.

Department heads recommend new po- sitions to standing committees, who in turn recommend them to Finance & Personnel, who then makes a recommendation to the full board, County Administrator Jason Matthys explained.

The positions proposed to become euec –

tive Jan. 1, 2023 unless otherwise noted in clude:

• Register of Deeds oce specialist, $13,886, 0.35 FTE (728 hours annually). Daily workloads have increase signifi – cantly over the past few years, for title records copies, document recordings and customer inquiries

• Sheriu's oce patrol ocer/court securi – ty, full-time, $114,223 annually (includes wages and benefits), July 1 start date

• Human Services CCS Clinical Supervi – sor, full-time, $119,001 annually (funded by CST and billing Medicaid, no county dollars)

• Human Services CCS Social Worker, full time, $99,053 annually (funded by billing Medicaid, no county dollars), March 1 start date

• Human Services, CLTS Social Worker, full-time, $96,489 annually (funded by Medicaid and CST funding, no county dollars)

• Human Services, in-home Mental Health Therapist, full-time, $111,698 annually (funded by Medicaid and Youth Innova –

tion Grant, no county dollars)

• Maintenance Facilities Manager, fulltime, $110,653. Cost is ouset by contract – ing for janitorial services, but will need $7,112 for 2023.

• District Attorney, Victim Witness Special – ist, 0.5 FTE, $39,926 annually (county reimbursed for 49% of cost from Wiscon – sin Department of Justice/Oce of Crime Victim Services)

• Emergency Management Field Director, full-time, $88,006 annually (cost ouset by emergency planning state grant and funds from Xcel Energy)

• Solid Waste Oce Specialist, increase from seven to eight hours, $6,779 annu ally

• Treasurer, Deputy Treasurer, increase from seven to eight hours, $6,773 annually Supervisor Mel Pittman questioned why the patrol ocer/court security would be re – quested when there are a number of vacant positions in the department that need to be filled first. “It would be my opinion that we would move forward to fill the vacancies before we move forward with a new one," he said. Sheriu Nancy Hove also requested two additional patrol ocers, which would have totaled (with one squad, equipment, wages and benefits) $336,776. These were not for –

warded by F& P for recommendation. “The two extra patrolmen will allow us to have 4 on each shift," Hove wrote in a memo dated May 23. "Although it does not elimi – nate all over time, it should help with some of it.”

Supervisor Sheila Lorentz asked why so many human services people are needed. According to Human Services Director Julie Krings, mental health and substance abuse concerns are increasing. The state does not allow the department to have a waiting list for services, and at this point, it does, meaning it’s out of compliance. The two new positions will address the waiting list and are fully funded.

The children’s long-term support social worker serves children with developmental disabilities and mental health issues, Krings said. Again, the state does not allow a waiting list and the numbers are continuing to grow.

"The whole goal of the program is to keep the children in their homes and in their com- munities," Krings said.

Again, no tax levy is used for this position as it is billed.

The intensive in-home therapy position serves to keep children in their homes rather than out-of-home placement.

“We are able to bill insurance for that position and there is no cost to the county," Krings said. She said it’s actually an ancillary cost savings to the county, being able to re duce placements and help reduce costs.

The board will vote on the proposed posi – tions at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15 at the annual budget meeting.

Salary matrix

The board also heard the first reading of a resolution establishing the 2023 salaries and benefits for designated employees after a market wage analysis was completed by Carlson-Dettman.

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th F& P is recommending the county adopt a 50 percentile blend, meaning a por – tion of the salary matrix will advance more aggressively in order to recruit employees. Every county employee was classified and put on the scale in 2014 when the matrix was implemented.

Matthys explained that Carlson Dettman recommended elevating six positions one or two pay grades based on the market and re sponsibilities of that position.

Carlson Dettman also recommended al- lowing employees at least a 4% wage in – crease euective Jan. 1 for everyone across the board.

"As an employer we have found our wag – es to become out of market, particularly post pandemic where private sector employers were increasing wages at a rapid rate, causing us as well as other public sector governments to be losing employees faster than the exist- ing vacancies to be filled," Matthys said in a memo to supervisors. "As a result, other pub – lic sector governments have partnered with third party vendors to determine necessary market adjustments to wages." Surrounding counties have increased wag – es anywhere from 3 to 8%, Matthys said. Better wages are a tool to recruit and retain quality employees. The actual cost for implementing this recommendation, if all positions were filled 365 days per year, would be $1,135,400.90. A 1.25% cost of living wage increase was built into the 2023 proposed budget totaling $231,645.66, which brings the amount need ed to implement the recommendation down to $903,755.24. An additional $257,954.35 in grants, highway project revenue and sol id waste user fees drops that amount to $645,800.89 for 2023. Matthys estimated $649,750.29 would be needed in 2024 to implement this 4% wage increase per Carlson Dettman’s recommen- dation and auord employees a 1.25% cost of living increase. Matthys said F& P is recommending to let the 2023 budget perform and see at year’s end how much money is needed to plug the budget using undesignated American Rescue Plan Acts funds. He also said administration is hopeful the amount needed won't be too high, consider – ing stau vacancies. "It could be $200,000 or $400,000," he said. "F& P is recommending to leverage ARPA funds at year's end so as not to burden taxpayers.”

Supervisor Melissa Petersen said she would like to see at least part of the coun – ty's $8.3 million in ARPA funds go toward broadband expansion. She also questioned what the county would do to fund the wage increases when ARPA money is exhausted. “There will need to be some tough deci- sion-making moving forward," said Chair Jon Aubart. "Our biggest cost is stau. Each year we have, with the exception of 2021, we say we're not going to take new stau re – quests. We kick the can down the road, which results in a long list of requests." Matthys said he's hopeful in 2024 or 2025 the county will be self-sucient so it's not reliant on outside sources to carry wages, with money coming from the increase in al- lowable tax levy per year, which is based on net new construction.

"We get $200,000 to $250,000 of new money each year," Matthys said. "If we're careful and make sound decisions, otherwise, we have to consider cutting services or stau." Supervisor Ben Plunkett questioned if in – flation was considered in the wage increase recommendation.

"We have great people working here," Plunkett said. "Law enforcement is not cov –

ered here. We have great diculty in attract ing and retaining the employees necessary for our government functions. Our not filling positions has come at a cost of not providing services for our residents and stressing work ers who are doing more than their fair share. I'm not sure if a 4% increase when inflation is about 6% is going to be enough." Matthys said during the course of the year, employees are auorded a step increase based on performance, which is 2-2.25%. "This is going to be dicult enough to try to palette this for the future," Matthys said. "But if we do nothing and keep existing wag –

es, it would be a mass resignation, quite hon estly.”

Supervisor Mel Pittman asked if Lt. Wade Strain's comments about sheriu's oce em ployees not being consulted about the wage increase had been addressed. Matthys ex – plained that jail, investigations and patrol lieutenants were part of the nine positions that Carlson Dettman found that were being paid enough. The sheriu completed job de – scription questionnaires, which were given to Carlson Dettman, he said. They agreed those positions needed a “higher lift” up the pay scale.

"Because this was not a reclassification ef – fort, where there are some things to appeal, in my opinion, in this case it was a market anal – ysis," Matthys said. "To say that they weren't involved would be inaccurate because they filled out the questionnaire."