Posted May 26, 2023
The proposed fiscal year 2023-2024 budget includes significant efforts to ensure that Granville County is able to retain and attract the best employees to serve our community now and for years to come. Granville’s location serves as both a blessing and a curse, providing an attractive location in the Raleigh-Durham Metropolitan Area but forcing Granville to compete with much larger and well-resourced jurisdictions who are much more easily able to offer significantly higher pay and benefits packages. Employees are able to easily move to one of these employers without relocating and uprooting their families.
In recent years, the Board of Commissioners has made a concerted effort to attract and retain the best workforce possible while also being careful stewards of the tax dollars paid by Granville residents. Recommendations from a pay study were implemented in 2021, but the labor market and the cost of living have changed so dramatically in the past two years that an even more thoughtful and proactive effort was needed.
Perhaps the most impacted segment of current workforce compensation and turnover trends is our public safety employees. The market for employees with this skill set has proven to be volatile from an employer’s point of view for several years running. The Board of Commissioners has taken several initiatives to ensure that these critical departments remain staffed with well-trained and dedicated employees. First, Patrol Deputies and Telecommunicators will receive paid meal breaks as an acknowledgement that these employees remain “on-duty” and do not receive a true break during their meal-time. Pay will also reflect a new requirement for Detention Officers’ 15-minute advance reporting time that ensures a professional and orderly shift change. Second, employees in Public Safety departments (Sheriff’s Office, Detention Center, and 911 Emergency Communications) will receive a 4% cost-of-living adjustment. Additionally, entry-level law enforcement and detention officer positions will receive an 8% market rate adjustment. Third, all these employees will be eligible for a maximum 4% merit pay increase. These changes will increase the average pay for Granville County Sheriff’s Office personnel by approximately 15%, much more in line with our regional competitors. Finally, all county employees will be eligible to eliminate their required monthly contribution toward employee health insurance premium costs (if they meet the requirements of the county’s wellness program) and will see a 25% reduction in health insurance premiums paid to insure spouses and children.
All told, these unprecedented increases in employee compensation can be managed without an increase to the county’s tax rate. The hope is that remaining competitive and investing in Granville’s current and future workforce will ensure that county residents can expect to receive exemplary service and programs for years to come. The Board of Commissioners recognizes that this will be an ongoing process and does not expect any of these initiatives to permanently fix the issues faced by law enforcement and all public sector employers across the United States but views it as a critical first step.
For more information about the proposed improvements to employee compensation, view the graphics below or view the County Manager’s budget presentation. Minutes 18:46 through 27:53 detail employee pay and benefits.