By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Board of County Commissioners realigned the Reno County pay scale on Tuesday. County Administrator Randy Partington explained where the additional money will come from.
"$580,000 in the general fund is what we're short from what the budget number is and what 100% compression would do," Partington said. "You guys had asked, well, how are we going to cover that? Just in the sales tax alone for 2021, Reno County received $1 million more in receipts than what was budgeted. The numbers for 2022, if sales tax receipts remained flat, we would have an additional $750,000 more in revenue than what was budgeted. Those are two examples of our conservative budgeting with revenues that allow us to absorb this increase."
County employees will see this in their checks yet this winter.
"For current hourly employees, that would begin for the hours they start earning on January 30," Partington said. "For salaried, it would be wages beginning on February 6. That is because it takes time to change the financial system to make the change for the pay scale, how we input employees."
It's been about five or six years since the pay scales were last adjusted to reflect market increases.
"People want to work where they feel that they are appreciated, where they're doing quality work," said commissioner Ron Sellers. "I think our efforts in the future there are just as important as what we're doing with the pay scale."
The total increases across the county amount to over $1.75 million with both the previously approved 2% COLA and the 100% recommended compression adjustment.