Hundreds of Beaufort County employees could soon get raises

Just in time for the holidays, hundreds of Beaufort County employees could see a bit of extra money in their paychecks.

The Beaufort County Council’s Finance Committee voted Monday to recommend accepting the results of a yearlong employee pay study and begin implementing its recommendations.

The study found that nearly 700 of the county’s roughly 1,100 employees should be eligible for a pay bump, which could range from a couple of hundred dollars a year to several thousand dollars, depending on the job.

But paying for hundreds of raises is by no means cheap.

The county has $2 million budgeted this fiscal year to implement the findings of the salary study.

The study found that sum is enough to bump about 70 percent of the underpaid employees up to the midpoint of their appropriate salary range.

Another $800,000 would be necessary to give raises to all employees currently paid below the salary level determined for their job type.

“The salary component of our budget is going to increase on a yearly basis,” Councilman Steve Fobes said.

Councilman Jerry Stewart agreed, saying, “We are going to pay the price for not having a systematic approach (to employee compensation) in prior years.”

One of the study’s key findings, which were presented to the committee by consultants with Gallagher Benefits Services, is that many county employees are currently underpaid.

On average, county employees earn about 9 percent less than workers in other organizations — the state government and local municipalities such as Bluffton and Hilton Head Island, for example — who perform similar duties, the study found.

“Our number one expense and our most valuable asset is our labor force,” county administrator Gary Kubic said Monday, so recruiting and maintaining top talent ought to be a high priority.

Ronnie Charles of Gallagher Benefits Services said the study sought to “assign jobs the correct pay grade based on responsibilities and duties,” as well as tenure with the county.

Deputy county administrator Josh Gruber said the county has long battled “compression,” a scenario where newcomers and long-term employees are paid similarly without regard to experience or seniority.

“The fact that someone who has been here for 10 years is being paid the same as someone who is hired off the street … creates internal pressure within our organization,” he said.

Implementing the pay studies recommendation would help alleviate compression, county officials say.

Now that the study has the blessing of the Finance Committee, it will be reviewed by the full County Council. If the council approves it, administration leaders likely will begin implementing aspects of the plan immediately.

“I’ve been looking at this (issue) for the past year, and I am ready,” county employee services director Suzanne Gregory said Monday.

In fact, Gregory said her department has the ability to start adjusting paychecks as early as next month.

This story was originally published November 7, 2016 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Hundreds of Beaufort County employees could soon get raises."