In the November 21, 2022, Commissioners Meeting, in his presentation of the Salary Study for approval, the Finance Director mentioned the 3% COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) that I understand was approved by the Commissioners in July 2022 and was included in the current year’s budget and was to take effect as of July 1, 2022. It appears that the County Manager has held off on giving the employees their approved COLA pay increase for five months. If an employee makes $40,000 a year, they have already forfeited $583.33 in pay since July 1. If it is correct that the Commissioners intended that the COLA go into effect on July 1, 2022, then we should encourage the Commissioners to immediately implement the COLA effective as of July 1, 2022, and give every employee a one-time bonus representing the COLA amount they have been denied since it was approved and budgeted to be effective July 1.
Based on the Finance Director’s presentation mentioned above, the County Manager is combining the COLA pay increases with the separate $800,000 pay adjustments that were also approved in the current budget, and now these combined funds can be distributed by the County Manager unevenly throughout the entire workforce to make the salary adjustments permissible under the new Salary Study. In some cases, an employee could actually be getting just the COLA increase that they were entitled to without the Salary Study. Patriot Software, a national payroll company, says the following about a cost of living adjustment (COLA):
“With most raises, each employee gains a different amount, and some employees might not receive a raise at all. A cost of living adjustment is different. All employees receive an annual cost of living raise at the same time. Also, all employees receive the same percentage increase.”
By combining the COLA with the budgeted $800,000 pay adjustments, it makes it look like if the new Salary Study is not immediately adopted before time for a detailed review, employees will not receive any pay increases until the final Salary Study is approved. As stated above, this is not true if the COLA is really a COLA. I see no excuse for a delay in giving this pay increase. Of course, by tying the COLA to the new Salary Study, some employees may feel that they must push the Commissioners to approve the new Salary Study immediately before they know who will be getting the remaining $800,000 pay adjustments or if the new pay ranges are equitable to all employees. Be aware that the new Salary Study only establishes the minimum and maximum pay ranges and job titles. Passing the study does not guarantee any employee a raise, except maybe someone making less than the minimum entry level for their job.
In the regular Commissioners meeting on November 21, the Salary Study was handed to the commissioners and asked for its approval at the meeting. I requested that more time be allowed for the Commissioners and the public to review the new salary ranges to insure they were fair to the middle and lower-income groups, not slanted in favor of the upper-income groups, and not significantly lower or higher than surrounding counties. The commissioners were in agreement and tabled the item until a future meeting.
In that same meeting, the Commissioners voted to table a request submitted by the recently hired Parks and Recreation Director to add three full-time and 4 part-time employees to the Recreation Department. It was anticipated that the new managers would be hired with salaries in the $50,000/year range and the new 4 part-time employees at $16,250/year. The annual cost to the County (us taxpayers) for these 7 new positions would be approximately $215,000 plus the cost of fringe benefits.
Now the County has scheduled a Called Meeting for December 1 at 6 p.m. to reconsider the Salary Study and the Recreation Department’s request for 7 new employees. If you are in the middle or lower income brackets, then you should attend this meeting to insure that you are being treated fairly.
Bob Guthrie
Cornelia
_____________
Now Habersham encourages you to submit letters that share your opinions on issues of interest to residents in our community and the Northeast Georgia region. Click here for submission guidelines.
