photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County commissioners met for their business meeting on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.

Douglas County commissioners have decided to move forward on recommendations for paying employees well above the area averages for similar positions, and leaders say employees’ performance will be a key factor in determining the new salaries.

On Wednesday, commissioners reviewed a classification and compensation study by human resources group McGrath that recommends raising county employee pay, and they authorized county staff to implement the recommendations in the study. The study suggests establishing a “compensation philosophy” to align salaries with the 70th percentile of local wages for similar roles. Employees at the 70th percentile would earn about 20% more than the median wage for similar positions in other regional government entities.

“That means that Douglas County is not necessarily going to be the highest paid, but you are going to be very competitively paid,” said Malayna Maes, a senior consultant at McGrath.

The county has allocated $3 million in its 2025 budget to initiate the recommendations, but the estimated cost to implement new salary ranges is much less. Human Resources Manager Michelle Spreer said that it would cost $730,000 to raise all county employees currently earning below the newly established minimum up to that level.

Once all employees are earning at least the minimum salary, county staff will calculate the specific pay for each employee. The plan calls for 25% of the calculation to be based on the employee’s years in their position, and for the rest to be based on the employee’s performance. If all employees in the county were to receive a top score in their performance evaluations, it would cost the county a maximum of $1,610,500 for the raises.

County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said the compensation adjustments were focused heavily on the performance of employees because the county takes it seriously during their evaluations.

“It could be people that (have) only been here a couple years that are doing a really good job, that are super skilled, that are picking up on different things that we’re asking people to implement,” Plinsky said. “And we want them to stay because we made an investment in them, and we want them to stay with our organization.”

As the Journal-World reported, McGrath based its findings on a comparison of Douglas County wages with about a dozen other regional government entities, including the cities of Lawrence, Leavenworth, Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park and Shawnee, as well as Johnson, Leavenworth, Riley, Sedgwick and Shawnee counties. They also examined similar positions at the University of Kansas. The study did not compare wages to the city of Lawrence.

The report suggests implementing a salary schedule for the county featuring 22 distinct pay grades. The lowest grade is designated for custodians, with proposed annual earnings ranging from $41,142 to $59,654, and a target at the 70th percentile set at $47,320. Conversely, the highest pay grade is allocated for the county administrator, who would be eligible for a salary between $216,174 and $313,456, with a 70th percentile target of $248,601.

The study highlighted several other recommendations, including realigning the county’s position classification structure and adjusting the salary schedule annually based on a specified economic indicator reflecting the previous year’s average. Additionally, the consultants advise the county to consider changes to its employee health insurance program.

Commissioner Shannon Reid said that as one of the largest employers in the county, it was important for the county government to be a leader in paying the employees and recognizing the value they bring. And Commissioner Patrick Kelly said he felt fortunate because of the people who work for the county and that it was important to try to keep them.

“I’m so proud that Douglas County doesn’t shoot for average,” Kelly said. “We can have really great employees and government service that really supports the community that they’re tasked to support, and that approach to this feels very solid to me.”

County staff will begin preparations to implement the changes by the paycheck date of Dec. 13, 2024.

In other business, commissioners:

• Accepted a construction bid of around $1.1 million and awarded a contract to Vance Brothers Inc. for the completion of several road paving projects.

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

• Approved a conditional use permit to expand an RV and boat storage business at 568 North 1800 Road. The applicant, SNL Storage LLC, is requesting an additional 10 feet in width for a storage building that was previously approved for the site.

• Reviewed and approved the 2024 year-end report for Adult Community Corrections. Each year, the Criminal Justice Services – Adult Community Corrections submits a report to the Kansas Department of Corrections detailing the county’s progress, challenges, and any modifications to agency goals and objectives during the annual grant cycle.

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