Countywide pay hike approved for work force

ERIE — A long-awaited pay increase for county personnel has finally been approved. 

During a work session prior to the start of Wednesday’s regular meeting, the Neosho County Commission approved a $1 per hour pay increase for all non-elected departmental personnel, backdated to Jan. 1. The rate increase also applies to vacant positions for new hires.

The raise will tack on more than $2,000 annually to individual income, and will account for roughly $210,080 out of the county contingency fund. That figure does not include other items such as retirement and tax deductions. 

Commissioners noted that they do not want to transfer the money directly from the contingency fund, but will wait to see which departments are over budget. 

“Right now, we’re going to let them work it out of their budgets. If their budgets come up short, we will revisit at that time,” said Commissioner Nic Galemore.

The raise applies to 103 county employees. Those excluded are five elected officials, the three commissioners, and Neosho County Health Department lactation consultant Stephanie Henry, who recently received a substantial pay increase through a grant.

Dating back to last summer’s budget work sessions, commissioners had been deep into discussions about pay raises, as well as other items such as a countywide hiring freeze.

At the outset of Wednesday’s work session, Commission Chair Gail Klaassen spoke of the county’s contingency fund while also addressing items for which the commission had not budgeted. Klaassen recently expressed dismay with Road and Bridge Director Mike Brown for not budgeting accordingly for fuel prices, leaving commissioners with a $160,000 surprise. Klaassen also mentioned the Sheriff’s Department and county appraiser in that same grouping.

“I’m still concerned about fuel prices. We did not budget for any increase,” Klaassen said. “We also made our HVAC payment out of the General Fund that we did not budget for, so those are some things to consider.”

Commissioners had previously broached an across-the-board cost of living raise as a possibility.

“Which doesn’t have the same effect on hourly employees as it does salary,” Klaassen said, explaining that it would be less appealing to new hires and a disadvantage to lower-wage earners. “I would propose a dollar raise for all employees that are non-elected,” she said.

Breach of duty?

Klaassen also requested that the HR Department begin providing commissioners  with  a  summary  of  new  hires, departing personnel, accrued overtime and compensation hours, prepared after each pay period and ready for the biweekly meetings. County Clerk Heather Elsworth said that once a month would be more feasible as it’s adding more work for HR.

“We’re the bosses,” Klaassen told The Tribune. “At least, we’ve been told we are.”

Elsworth pushed back.

“It’s additional reporting that we will have to create and run,” she said. 

Klaassen said that receiving the report on a monthly basis would not be helpful to the commission’s main objective.

“Once a month does not make sense because the payroll does not end at the end of the month,” Klaassen said. “So I said let’s just do every other payroll period and she said, ‘Well, that might work.’ It seems like every pay period would be easier because you would have those totals.”

In a phone interview on Thursday, Elsworth said that Klaassen has a history of “manipulating the HR and payroll department.” While Elsworth voiced these concerns during a special meeting last summer, she said that she believes Klaassen breached her duties as a commissioner during a recent interaction regarding the potential pay raises. 

“She came to me and requested which employees had which tiers of insurance. She wanted to know who had Tier 1 because it’s a lower deductible, which costs more money,” Elsworth said, adding that the match for the county is higher. “She didn’t think that they needed a cost of living increase, so they weren’t deserving of the $1 (raise).”

While the commission approves the insurance types, Elsworth said such decisions are personal choices made by employees without interference from commissioners. 

“The employee is allowed to pick on their own free will which insurance choice they would like,” Elsworth said. “She wants to discriminate by having that information. By law, you cannot discriminate against our employees in that way.”

Elsworth said that Klaassen approached her seeking that information outside of the capacity of an official meeting. 

“I did not provide her that info,” Elsworth said, adding that her top priority is to protect employee confidentiality. 

Instead, she provided Klaassen with a general overview of how many employees are in each tier. 

“That was to protect employees’ (confidentiality) while also providing commissioners with info that they needed,” Elsworth said. “I did not provide names.”

Klaassen denied that she made such a request. 

“Not for insurance,” Klaassen told The Tribune. “It might be a misunderstanding with what (Elsworth) is talking about. I understand that I can’t have information like that.”

Klaassen said that she firmly grasps Elsworth’s role as county clerk and HR Director. 

“They’re there to protect the confidential information of the employees. But as a commissioner, I’m asking for certain information,” she said. “So with overtime, is she saying individually she can’t tell me who is getting overtime?” Klaassen asked.

Klaassen does not believe she overstepped any boundaries. 

“I think we get that directly from our insurance company,” Klaassen said of the insurance request mentioned by Elsworth. “They give us those figures.”

Elsworth reiterated her belief that Klaassen crossed the line.

“Commissioner Klaassen took advantage of and abused the privacy of the individual employee when the commission was over payroll,” she said. “My sole purpose is to protect the privacy of the employee. That goes along with payroll, and I will do so as such.

“I have to generate reports so that they’re presented with all the facts and information to provide to the commission that gives department totals rather than individual employee information that can be used against the individual employee or by shared with outside people.”