Lake County officials are looking at ways to more fairly compensate their workers and say a 3 percent raise for the remainder of this year is just a first step.
A pay-grade scale similar to those used for federal employees is about a year from being implemented, officials say, and will have people with the same job classifications and title earning the same wage. Human Resources Director Tom Dabertin has been working on job descriptions to eliminate discrepancies from department to department in creating a program similar to a civil service exam.
Porter County has paid out bonuses in an effort to address salaries that tend to be lower in government and also is considering a job classification study.
In Lake, disparity in pay – and in job duties for specific titles – means employees on the lowest end of the spectrum struggle to earn a wage that will prevent them from qualifying for public assistance. It’s possible some take advantage of such programs as SNAP, the supplemental nutrition program that replaced food stamps, but the number is unknown, said Lake County Council President Ted Bilski, D-Hobart. .
SNAP income limits are $15,312 for a single individual, $20,712 for a two-person household, $26,124 for a three-person household and $31,536 for a four-person household, according to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration website.
Two full-time county employees, both secretaries, would have qualified prior to approval of the 3 percent raise. One earned $15,003 while the other earned $15,073, according to the county ordinance establishing the pay raise. Another 21 employees could qualify for SNAP assistance if they are the lone income earner in a two-person household. Those employees include a bookkeeper at $16,975 and a secretary office manager earning $18,882; eight cooks earning $20,600; eight janitors in Gary and Hammond earning $20,600 and one maintenance worker earning $20,600.
More than 500 of the county’s employees, roughly two-thirds, make less than $30,000.
Bilski said the focus needs to be on some of the lowest paid employees and salaries need to be more competitive for some trained positions in public safety where turnover is high. Officials recently raised the base pay of all dispatchers by $3,000 to try and retain them and attract more qualified candidates.
“I’m not quite sure that will be enough,” Bilski said.
A lot of time and money is being spent to train dispatchers, corrections officers and police officers, only to see them leave.
“By not paying right, the amount of time spent training is all wasted revenue,” Bilski said.
Porter County salaries do not appear to be as low as in Lake County. The lowest-paid positions are four custodial posts at $20,000.
The bulk of county employees working in office positions make salaries ranging from the low-$30,000s to the mid-$40,000s, depending on the office and their rank and responsibilities, according to the 2016 salary ordinance passed by the Porter County Council last year.
County employees also receive longevity payouts each year, which start at $225 for employees working with the county for three years, to a maximum of just over $1,000, said Auditor Vicki Urbanik. Employees also can receive $25 bonuses for attending the county’s wellness programs.
“We do have some low wages in our county. That’s indisputable,” she said, adding that county officials are talking about doing a job classification study and position comparison to pinpoint any discrepancies from department to department.
The council has considered raises at the end of its fall budget hearings in the last few years, after getting an idea of what the coming year’s financial situation will be. Employees, with the exception of elected officials, received an additional $1,000 in 2014. This year, the council voted again to give employees an across-the-board $1,000 increase and include elected officials.
Salaries are expected to come up again during budget hearings later this year.
“We all understand that, unfortunately, working for government doesn’t pay as much as it should,” said Council President Dan Whitten, D-At-large. “I understand that we want to get salaries competitive but unfortunately, it’s not always the highest salaries out there.”
The council has debated the merits of flat increases versus a percentage increase, a point that Whitten expects to come up again. A flat increase provides a bigger boost for those at the lower end of the pay scale, while a percentage can provide an incentive for someone to move up to a higher-paying position, particularly in law enforcement.
A foundation created earlier this year for $147 million of the proceeds of the sale of the county hospital will provide funds for capital projects and other needs, Whitten said, but “certainly will not let us lose sight of salaries and raises for our county employees.”
Amy Lavalley and Carrie Napoleon are freelance reporters for the Post-Tribune.
