Print |
E-mail to a friend
PUTNAM NEWS
Putnam County general employees to receive raises
WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Putnam County general hourly and salary employees will soon see a raise on their paychecks, though the amounts of compensation will vary.
For many years, the county commission has held firm to the practice that county employee raises be distributed equally and across the board with exception to a few special circumstances. But county administrator Brian Donat said that discussions began in March in regards to an alternate award method allowed by code. At the urging of various department heads, the commission voted to allow each elected official to determine the manner in which they would distribute raises within their department.
Not all departments agreed on the manner in which they would award these funds. As a result, the following distributions were ordered at this week's commission meeting:
- A 5 percent increase will be given to employees of the county commission, county clerk, circuit clerk, planning commission, sheriff, victims advocate and the county attorney.
- The prosecuting attorney elected to compensate specific individuals without using a designated percentage or dollar amount for these determinations.
- Special exception is being given to full-time paramedics, who will be awarded a total 10 percent increase as part of a plan to address the position's need for more competitive wages.
- The county assessor's office will award a flat increase of 58 cents an hour for each employee.
Though a percentage across the board has been the standard for some years, assessor Peachie Arthur says that with employee wages already separated by their job description and responsibilities, he chose to award a dollar amount equally because, "Everybody is paying the same price for gas and food as everyone else. This makes the increase the same for everybody."
Understanding that a percentage raise would have given some a much more significant raise than others based on their current pay scale, in regards to trying to please everyone, Arthur said, "I think they'll realize and think about their fellow worker and see that I've really done the right thing."
In recounting some of his previous work experience where he was treated unfairly by an employer, Arthur said, "I swore when I became a supervisor, I'd never treat people like that. These ladies work hard. And I thank the commission for relinquishing the money to me so I could divvy it up."
