photo by: Journal-World

The Douglas County Commission will hold their Wednesday meeting at the Douglas County Public Works building, 3755 E 25th St.

Douglas County government should create a new goal to pay its employees — everybody from custodians to clerks — well above the median wage of similar employees in the region, county commissioners will be told at their meeting on Wednesday.

The Douglas County Commission at its weekly meeting will review the findings of a classification and compensation study that includes recommendations for increasing future pay for county employees.

Specifically, the study by McGrath, a human resources group, recommends that the county create a “compensation philosophy” that aims to pay county employees at a rate equal to the 70th percentile of wages for similar positions in the area. In other words, employees at the 70th percentile would be receiving wages about 20% higher than the median wage for other employees in similar jobs at other government entities in the region.

“This strategy may increase the supply of candidates, increase selection rates of qualified applicants, maintain productivity, and decrease unwanted employee turnover,” McGrath says in its written report to the County Commission. “This type of strategy is appropriate for an organization like Douglas County, because it is located within a highly competitive labor market.”

McGrath made its findings by comparing Douglas County government wages to about a dozen other governmental entities in the region. The consultants looked at wages in the cities of Lawrence, Leavenworth, Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park and Shawnee, while also looking at the counties of Johnson, Leavenworth, Riley, Sedgwick and Shawnee. The consultants also looked at comparable positions at the University of Kansas.

It wasn’t immediately clear how much it might cost Douglas County to fully implement a compensation strategy that routinely pays about 20% above the area’s median wages. Douglas County’s 2025 budget, however, has $3 million in it to begin implementing the compensation recommendations.

The consultants do recommend that Douglas County continue to use a compensation system that assigns a compensation range to each position, which would give managers the ability to pay people based on their experience levels and other attributes.

The report recommends a salary schedule for the county that would include 22 different pay grades. The lowest pay grade on the schedule was for custodians, and the new schedule calls for those employees to earn between $41,142 and $59,654 per year with the 70th percentile target at $47,320. The highest pay grade is reserved for the county administrator, who would qualify for a salary between $216,174 and $313,456, with the 70th percentile target at $248,601.

Three of the largest pay grades in the new plan are identified as pay grades G, J and L. Grade G includes executive assistants, engineering technicians and several others, such as certain levels of administrative assistants, equipment operators, mechanics and building inspectors. The plan calls for those positions to earn between $53,913 and $78,166, with the target at $62,004

Grade J includes digital media specialists, GIS analysts, crime analysts, code enforcement officers and several others. The plan calls for those positions to earn between $66,060 to $95,784, with the target at $75,961.

Grade L includes data analysts, management analysts, payroll and accounts payable managers, IT support supervisors and zoning administrators, among others. The plan calls for those positions to earn between $75,649 to $109,699, with the target at $86,985.

As the Journal-World previously reported, commissioners heard a presentation from McGrath in June comparing the county’s salary ranges to broader market salaries. The presentation revealed that 54% of employees earning the minimum salary level fall below the market average. In the midpoint analysis, 50% of employees are below the market average, and among those near the top of their pay scale, 52% also fall short of the market average.

Among other recommendations, the study also suggests re-aligning the classification structure of county positions and that the salary schedule be adjusted annually on a specified date based on an economic indicator, reflecting the average from the previous year for the proposed adjustment.

The consultants also recommend the county consider changes to its health insurance program for employees. Douglas County’s lowest-cost plan requires employees to pay $62 per month for single coverage. Almost every other organization examined by the consultants had at least one option that was offered at a lower monthly premium. The city of Overland Park and Olathe and the counties of Leavenworth, Shawnee, Riley and Sedgwick all had plans with monthly premiums less than $20 per month.

In other business, commissioners will consider:

• Accepting a construction bid of approximately $1.1 million and awarding a contract to Vance Brothers Inc. to complete various road paving projects.

• Approving a conditional use permit for an adult day care to be operated by Community Living Opportunities at 1411 East 1850 Road, which is the former Kaw Valley School site between Lawrence and Eudora.

• Approving a conditional use permit to expand an RV/boat storage business at 568 North 1800 Road. The applicant, SNL Storage LLC, is seeking to add 10 feet in width to storage building that previously had been approved for the site.

• Review and consider approving the adult community corrections 2024 year-end report. Each year, the Criminal Justice Services-Adult Community Corrections provides a report to the Kansas Department of Corrections outlining the county’s progress, challenges and modifications made to agency goals and objectives during the annual grant cycle.

The commissioners will also hold an executive session during the meeting to consult with the county counselor. This session is intended to uphold attorney-client confidentiality regarding a matter involving Douglas County.

The County Commission’s business meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the Douglas County Public Works training room at 3755 E. 25th St. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.