Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 9, 1994 TAG: 9412100016
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Six of the seven supervisors discussed the idea this week while in their roles as members of the county Public Service Authority Board.
County employees last month asked the supervisors for a 2 percent, across-the-board pay increase to be effective Jan. 1. They also want the board to take a close look at upgrading the salary scale as a whole to keep the county competitive with other governments, stop high turnover and boost morale.
The supervisors are to receive cost estimates for a possible pay increase, and recommendations on how to pay for it, at their 7 p.m. Monday meeting at the Montgomery County Courthouse.
This week, Supervisor Ira Long talked to board members about boosting the bottom of the pay scale to keep from losing employees and to make it easier to attract the best workers.
Gary Gibson, director of the service authority, told the board that the pay of five or six of his workers at the bottom of the scale is out of line with the local market. One job, for instance, starts in the $11,000 range, making it difficult to keep people. The Public Service Authority is technically separate from the rest of county government, but uses the same personnel policies.
The supervisors reached no consensus, though Christiansburg's Nick Rush agreed. "The whole salary schedule needs to be adjusted at the bottom."
The one supervisor who wasn't present Monday, Joe Gorman of Blacksburg, didn't favor just an increase for workers at the bottom when asked about the issue later. "You have to be fair to everyone."
Montgomery adopted its current pay scale for its 140 employees in 1991. It has 15 grades covering job classifications of increasing responsibility, from custodian to county administrator. Each grade has 11 steps. The scale's bottom three grades start out between $10,240 and $13,016, well below the Census Bureau's poverty level for a family of four. It would take eight step increases for a starting grade-one worker with a spouse and two children - a custodian, driver, laborer or recycling site worker - to surpass that level of $14,763.
Step increases are supposed to be granted annually on the basis of merit, but have been delayed twice in the last four budget years to avoid tax increases. This year county workers received a 2.5 percent across-the-board increase on July 1, as did teachers.
When more than 100 county workers crowded a Board of Supervisors meeting last month, three midlevel employees made the case for them. There is no formal organization representing county workers. Two of those speakers said this week they'd welcome any beginning by the board to address the pay issue.
"If we can get a starting point, then we're definitely on the right route," said Steve Phillips, director of buildings and grounds.
"Having [the board] address the low wages on the bottom end of the scale at the PSA or countywide would be a start," said Grants Coordinator Cindy Martin. "Ideally, we would like them to address the pay issue for all employees."
The two towns within Montgomery County's borders are not shy about regular pay increases. In Blacksburg's case, that includes regular raises for both the cost of living and merit.
Blacksburg has 199 full-time employees in 15 pay grades starting at $12,867. The town gave a 4 percent living adjustment this budget year, along with its merit system, which ranges from zero to 3 percent, meaning the top-performing employees could have obtained a 7 percent pay increase.
Christiansburg has 142 full-time workers who received a 4 percent across-the-board cost of living increase in July, said Town Manager John Lemley. The town also gave a 4 percent increase the year before and 2.5 percent increases the two years before that.
Christiansburg's pay scale is made up of six pay steps across 58 categories. It takes five years to go through the six steps, though step increases are based on performance and can be withheld. After 14 years of service, town workers get an automatic 2 percent raise annually; after 19 years, they get another 5 percent.
The town's lowest starting pay is $11,600 for laborers, but it would be adjusted to $12,000 after six months of probation.
Lemley said the town rarely loses administrative or public works employees to other localities.
by CNB