Supervisors OK $5 million in raises for SLO County employees. Who is getting a pay hike?
More than 500 San Luis Obispo County employees will get a pay raise this month.
At its meeting Tuesday, the SLO County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to approve wage increases for 519 non-union county employees — along with improvements to their own benefits packages.
The wage increases will cost the county about $5.2 million this fiscal year and about $9.8 million for the next fiscal year, according to county documents.
Supervisor John Peschong, who voted with Supervisors Dawn Ortiz-Legg and Bruce Gibson to support the increase, said the wage hike is critical for retaining and recruiting workers.
“It’s needed to be able to keep the good people that work here at San Luis Obispo County and keep them for a longer period of time,” Peschong said. “I truly believe that the employees of San Luis Obispo County are good people. I think that they work very, very hard.”
The average vacancy rate for county positions is 11%.
Peschong said that raising salaries can attract more employees and reduce the vacancy rate. He said he feared that the county would lose staff if they didn’t increase wages.
Ortiz-Legg said county staff are essential to running an effective government, and they should be paid properly.
“We cannot provide the kind of governance — good governance — without having the good professionals provided support of their everyday work,” she said.
Supervisors Debbie Arnold and Lynn Compton voted against the increase because the county is in an “unpredictable economic climate” and should limit spending, Arnold said. She would support raises that adjust wages for the cost of living, she said, but not equity pay raises.
Compton agreed.
“We do not have a real rosy picture for next year in terms of the budget,” Compton said. “The economy is not doing well right now. I think we all know that. Gas prices, everything is up. Everybody’s pinched, and it’s just too hard to vote for this right now.”
Who is getting a pay increase in SLO County?
San Luis Obispo County will provide two types of wage increases to employees, according to county Human Resources Department Director Tami Douglas-Schatz.
The first is an equity increase, which adjusts each wage to match how competing employers pay people doing similar work.
“It’s just a way of making sure positions stay competitive in the market,” Douglas-Schatz said. “As soon as a position is in higher demand, wages go up. It doesn’t mean we need to pay every position more, but we need to pay the high demand positions more.”
Each position received a different equity increase based on a compensation survey the county conducted in March, which analyzed how much money other employers paid similar positions.
For example, the assistant social services director will receive a 6.7% equity increase this month, changing their hourly wage from $68.90 to $73.52. Meanwhile, county counsel Rita Neal will see a 7.56% equity increase this month, bringing her hourly wage to $99.89.
A total of 61 positions, however, will not receive an equity increase because the County’s compensation survey didn’t advise one. This includes positions such as four child support attorneys, who make between $38.10 and $46.05 an hour, and county director of planning and building Trevor Keith, who makes $81.10 an hour.
All equity increases will be implemented this month.
The county will also execute “across the board” wage increases, which boost paychecks to keep up with inflation.
All 519 employees will get a 3% raise this month on top of their equity increase. In July 2023 the county will add a 2.5% pay increase, and build in another 2.5% increase in July 2024.
Each department will pay for as much of their employees’ wage increases that they can afford with their savings. The county will pay for the remaining balance with the General Fund, Douglas-Schatz said.
The library services manager won the highest wage increase — a 23% pay hike over a three-year period. They will receive an 18% pay raise this month from their equity and “across the board” wage increases, a 2.5% increase in July 2023, and another 2.5% increase in July 2024 — changing their $40.70 hourly wage to $50.66 an hour in 2024.
Other library employees will also earn significant wage increases, with the assistant library director getting a 14.84% raise and library director Christopher Barnickel a 14.72% raise.
Two other notable county figures will also get significant pay raises.
Over the next three years, Sheriff Ian Parkinson will see a 12.63% wage jump from $114.15 an hour to $129.25 an hour.
District Attorney Dan Dow’s wage will increase by 17.48% over the next three years from $114.23 to $135.33.
Supervisors vote to give themselves better health benefits
The board also voted to update their Cafeteria Plan, which includes health, dental and vision insurance plans.
The Cafeteria Plan applies to all 519 non-union employees and the Board of Supervisors.
Starting January 2023, the county’s contribution to the Cafeteria Plan will increase from $1,100 to $1,175 for employees with one dependent, and from $1,340 to $1,475 for employees with two or more dependents.
In 2024, the county’s contribution will jump to $1,250 for employees with one dependent and $1,550 for two dependents. In 2025, contributions for one dependent will increase to $1,300 and $1,625 for two dependents.
The board also voted to update the county’s wellness and education reimbursements.
Right now, employees get a $200 reimbursement for wellness expenses such as weight counseling and gym memberships, along with a $250 reimbursement for education expenses. The new reimbursement program combines wellness and education reimbursements with an allotment of $500 per employee.
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 12:57 PM.
