Pay raises suggested for county employees

FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County employees are paid below the national, state and regional market average in pay, a consultant told the county’s Personnel Committee on Monday.

Blair Johanson, with the Johanson Group, a Fayetteville-based management consulting firm, said pay comparisons show Washington County employees are paid below the most recent figures for the national, state and regional averages. The national average pay in 2018 was $51,960 or $24.98 an hour. The state average in 2018 was $41,540 or $19.71 per hour. The regional average pay in 2018 was $46,470 or $22.34 per hours, according to figures provided by Johanson. For Washington County employees in 2019, he said, the average pay was $40,401 or $19.42 per hour.

Johanson told the justices of the peace he would recommend a 4% pay increase for county employees, not including employees in the Sheriff’s Office who are on a step-pay plan and some employees who are already at their maximum pay levels.

The total cost to the county for 2020 would be $778,683, Johanson said. He said that cost could be offset from about $700,000 in savings the county should see this year through employees at higher pay grades leaving and being replaced by people in lower pay grades.

Johanson said the county had 78 employees working for an average pay of $16.44 leave their jobs from January through August this year.

The county hired 75 new employees at an average pay of $14 an hour. Through August, he said, the county has saved about $483,000 and should realize more than $700,000 in savings by the end of the year.

Johanson said his firm has been working with Washington County for more than 20 years and the county has worked to stay within about 3% of the regional pay average.

He said the county’s retirement plan has enough value to employees to offset a slightly lower pay rate.

The county’s market pay variance over the last 10 years has been as little as -0.25% in 2010 and as much as -7.16% in 2016.

In 2019, he said, the county’s market pay variance is -4.78%.

Also on Monday, the committee heard a recommendation that the county hire a consultant to evaluate proposals for a new emergency communications system.

John Luther, the county’s emergency services director, has been working with a committee representing rural firefighters and other emergency response agencies on replacing the county’s 15-year-old system.

The group has been weighing the costs and benefits of going to a system compatible with the statewide Arkansas Wireless Information Network system or upgrading the existing system.

The system now in use would not be compatible with AWIN users, which includes current or future users in Fayetteville and Springdale in Washington County and Rogers, Siloam Springs and Benton County agencies in Benton County.

Buying equipment to join the state system would be more expensive than upgrading the existing system. Luther said proposals for a new system have ranged from about $11.9 million down to $6.2 million for an AWIN system.

Upgrading the emergency communications system with another type of equipment will cost about $5.4 million, Luther said. The state has indicated money will be made available to pay for tower maintenance for agencies in the AWIN system. The county will have leasing costs for towers in either system, Luther said.

Luther said the committee has agreed the best course of action is to seek expert advice.

He said all of the other agencies he has contacted took that course.

“Everybody that I know of has utilized a consultant and reaped the benefits of it,” Luther said.

The committee voted to ask County Judge Joseph Wood to advertise for a consultant and recommended the county appropriate $25,000 for a study.