Following a monthslong compensation study, the Jefferson County Health Department recently raised the pay for 59 percent of its staff.
Health Department spokeswoman Brianne Zwiener estimated the agency has between 70 and 75 employees.
Jefferson County Health Department Board of Trustees agreed to approve the agency’s Personnel Committee’s recommendation to adjust the employees’ base pay rate, beginning on Nov. 16.
Zwiener said the pay raises will cost the Health Department a total of $283,026, including wages and fringe benefits.
“When including those who received adjustments in 2023, the total rises to 71 percent (of staff),” she said. “The remaining 29 percent of staff were already at or above market value.”
Some employees already got pay raises in 2023, so with the most recent raises, all Health Department positions have been adjusted to 95 percent of the market value – slightly below the market value to allow for long-term sustainability, Zwiener said.
Zwiener said the extra cost for the raises will be funded through the Public Health Infrastructure Grant, a state funding source designated to establish, train and sustain public health workforce.
“By offering compensation at 95 percent of market value and making strategic decisions like not refilling vacated positions, we can continue to support our workforce while balancing our budget long term,” said Kristin Firle, the Health Department’s comptroller.
Zwiener said the department plans to eliminate one of the two deputy director positions.
“We anticipate there will not be two deputy director positions moving forward,” she said. “However, this won’t be finalized until the executive director position is filled.
“At this time, I don’t have any updated information about the executive director position timeline.”
On Sept. 23, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to offer a contract to Steve Sikes, who has been serving as interim director since Feb. 27. As of Nov. 22, Sikes had not accepted the position, noting contract negotiations were ongoing.
Zwiener said the Health Department eliminated the environmental lab technician position when the technician retired and the department chose to end the program in December 2023.
In addition, the department eliminated an environmental public health specialist (EPHS) position, she said.
“We promoted an EPHS to a supervisor role and do not need to fill the vacancy,” she said.
The compensation study began in early 2024 and was funded through a state Workforce Development Contract.
Zwiener said the study was done to ensure the department remains competitive and sustainable in the current market.
For the study, the Health Department contracted with HR TailorMade, which collaborated with staff to gain insights into public health and revise job descriptions, as well as HR Managed, which used the job descriptions for the compensation study process.
The results were presented to the Health Department’s administrative team and positions were reviewed, salary ranges were established and the market analysis recommendations were evaluated. The recommendations were submitted to the department’s Board Personnel Committee on Sept. 16.
The Board of Trustees held a work session to review the results and recommendations on Oct. 2 before approving it on Oct. 30.
“Using outside companies to conduct our compensation study ensured an objective and unbiased analysis of our pay structure,” Sikes said. “This was crucial in making sure our employees are fairly compensated on market standards, which helps us stay competitive and attract top talent.”
Sikes said a strong public health workforce is essential to the well-being of Jefferson County.
“I’m excited to see this compensation study finally come to fruition after being in the works for some time,” board chairperson Tim Pigg said. “It’s great to see this important project move forward to benefit our employees.”