County has a tough job ahead on salaries

Ward County commissioners are in for some financial juggling as they approve raises for county employees ranging from 2 percent to 8 percent.

The commissioners rightly rejected an across-the-board 8 percent raise for all employees, which would have cost the county another $562,871 in salaries. The board then settled on a three-tiered plan. Employees earning less than $25,000 a year would receive a 6 percent raise. Employees earning between $25,000 and $50,000 would get a 4 percent increase, and workers earning more than $50,000 would get a 2 percent raise. While the three-tiered plan addresses the issue of pay equity, no one was able to provide a solid number as to how much more the county will be paying in salaries with the changes.

After initially stumbling their way into this salary situation, the commissioners have spend considerable time studying and discussing the issue. We'll give them credit for that. But with the increases in payroll that will come with the three-tiered plan, it will certainly be interesting to see where the money will come from when budget time rolls around. Once that happens, the commissioners will no doubt find themselves doing some serious number-crunching and financial tight-rope walking in order to make this salary plan work.