Raises, changes in pay recommended

May 19—A 6% countywide raise has been recommended for county employees, and several departments are seeking changes in part-time or employee compensation to address staffing issues faced over the past year.

"I've lost three in a week," Chris Miller, Cumberland County EMS supervisor, told the budget committee of the Cumberland County Commission during its May 12 meeting.

The employees all left to work in surrounding counties. While the pay between counties is similar on a yearly basis, Miller said Cumberland County EMS employees work about 800 more hours a year.

County Human Resources Director Brooke Thompson Shaffer said the county's salary consultant, Larry Russell with Organizational Management Group of Knoxville, had recommended adding a basic EMT job description with a salary grade of 6. That would make the starting pay $30,651.

Miller said the county has not hired a basic EMT position in several years, but it is needed. Those employees would have one year to complete requirements to upgrade their license to advanced EMT.

That would shift the pay scale for others in the department:

—Advanced EMT, move from pay scale 6 to 7

—Paramedic, move from pay scale 7 to 8

—EMS assistant shift supervisor, move from pay scale 8 to 9

—EMS shift supervisor, move from pay scale 9 to 10

—EMS training officer, move from pay scale 8 to 9

The proposal would also give paramedic employees a 6% raise after their 90-day probationary period. Current employees would move the salary grade and receive the overall 6% proposed raise.

The EMS training officer would be a new position, Miller said. That work has been handled by an employee without additional compensation, he said.

Shaffer did not have specific figures for how the changes would impact the budget. It's approximately a 10% difference in pay from one salary grade to the next.

Terry Lowe, 5th District commissioner, said he wants to see numbers on the cost before moving forward with the EMS and other requests.

"Wages are going to be a problem for all county departments," Lowe said. "We're going to have to look at some pretty substantial raises countywide."

Shaffer said the county has had difficulty filling several positions in the past year and lost some employees to other counties or other employers in Cumberland County.

Last year, the commission approved a 6% countywide salary increase at a cost of about $1 million.

While the raise will increase the pay scale, several departments feared it was not enough to attract applicants to jobs that have sat open for months.

The county pays part-time employees at its salary grade 1, $8.48 an hour. The proposed raise would increase that to $9.15 an hour.

Several department managers expressed concern that $9.15 an hour will not attract applicants in positions they need filled.

Andrea Gaskins, supervisor of the Cumberland County Animal Shelter, said her department can't keep part-time personnel.

"We've been down an employee for five months," Gaskins said. She asked to increase part-time pay for the shelter to $9.50 an hour. Annual cost is estimated at $13,000.

Donnie Moody, manager of the Cumberland County Community Complex, asked to increase part-time pay to $10 an hour in his department. He's had a position open for nine months with only four applicants. When applicants learn the pay, they cancel interviews, he said.

"I don't know if $10 will do it," Moody added. Total cost would be about $15,000 a year to increase the part-time pay.

To help with staffing needs, the department has been using inmate labor from the Cumberland County Jail.

"That's the only way we're getting things done," Moody told the budget committee.

He has asked for a new lead position, which would be an existing employee moved to a new salary grade of 6. The person has had training as a correction officer and takes the inmates out to work.

Conrad Welch, supervisor of the solid waste department, said his department will hire someone, only to have them leave after working two weeks. He has two part-time, 30-hour positions for bailing. He asked to make the positions full time.

In the recycling department, he asked to make two part-time positions full time to allow the picking line for the recycling program to operate five days a week.

Total cost in additional pay and benefits would be $140,954.

Cumberland County Fire Chief Trevor Kerley asked the commission to approve adding part-time firefighters to his staff, one per shift for 12 hours a day.

Full-time firefighters work 24-hour shifts.

Kerley has also asked those part-time positions be paid $10.50 an hour.

"We've been trying to increase our staffing," Kerley told the panel, noting that calls and duties have increased, with more structure fires and more administrative duties, like preplanning.

The part-time person would work 12 hours at the department's discretion. Kerley said the peak time for calls is daytime.

Finding part-time firefighters can be a challenge, Kerley said. That's why he proposed the $10.50 pay instead of the standard part-time pay. Estimated cost is $65,000.

"Other fire departments are paying more for part-time," he said.

Kerley has also asked for changes in the job descriptions, combining the public education officer and training officer descriptions so that someone in that position could take either role, and adding a basic fire fighter job description, though not adding personnel beyond the part-time request.

The building maintenance department also requested a new position of lead technician at salary grade 8. This is an existing employee, Adam Sebia, maintenance supervisor, told the committee.

The Property Assessor's office has asked for an additional field appraiser position, with an estimated cost of $44,000.

James Houston, Art Circle Public Library director, requested a new position for a circulation librarian, with a proposed salary of $34,372, plus benefits that add about $14,000.

This position would oversee part-time employees and volunteers working in the circulation department. Libraries are facing increasing challenges, Houston said, and he needs someone in that department who can oversee the workers, handle issues as they arise and speak with a unified voice from the library.

The panel tentatively approved the 6% raise and other salary changes and personnel requests. Chad Norris, 1st District commissioner, abstained regarding the countywide raise as he works for the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.

While the requests received a tentative approv-

al from the committee, County Finance Director Nathan Brock reminded

the committee all action is tentative until the final budget approval, possibly in July.

Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.