Somerset County Salary Board OKs employee wages. Treasurer protests some, agrees to others

Judy D.J. Ellich, The Daily American
·5 min read

The first Somerset County Salary Board meeting in 2023 in the commissioners' board room in the county building turned into an at-times heated discussion between the three commissioners and the treasurer, who generally make up the board. A county government department head has a voting right when his or her department is on the salary board's agenda.

On Tuesday morning, this year's salary board agenda filled the room with dozens of residents and county officials and department heads sitting in chairs ringing the room.

Residents packed Somerset County Commissioners' boardroom for the second time in two weeks during the board's meeting where discussion of salaries came to the forefront.
Residents packed Somerset County Commissioners' boardroom for the second time in two weeks during the board's meeting where discussion of salaries came to the forefront.

During the meeting, County Treasurer Anthony "Tony" DeLuca brought up his right to be secretary of the county salary board. He questioned why union contracts were not approved by the salary board first and then the commissioners. He reiterated the need to increase county employee salaries.

"As of January 2022 (when DeLuca took office), the treasurers office will become the secretary of the county salary board. We will keep the minutes. We will provide those minutes as a board itself outside the commissioners board," he said, pointing to the county code as his authority.

More:Somerset County commissioners, treasurer at odds over salaries at Tuesday meeting

"I can take a look at it," said county solicitor Michael Barbera. "This is the first I'm hearing of it," he said.

But when DeLuca added that workshops held on agenda items to come before the salary board were questionable, his discussion on both those matters were tabled.

"We did not get an opportunity to look at this. We will look at these (discussion) and get back to you. We will table that discussion now," said County Commissioner Chair Gerald Walker.

We are not going to argue this today. This was not the proper time to bring this up. This is a trial by ambush," Barbera said.

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Commissioners Walker, Pamela Tokar-Ickes and Colleen Dawson approved all the salary items on the agenda. Throughout the 18-minute meeting, DeLuca changed his vote item by item, abstaining for some items, while approving or disapproving of others.

The county has 457 positions — 337 full-time and 120 part-time (including tax collectors) — with 205 nonunion employees and elected officials. County officials have four agreements with three unions: the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Somerset County Association of Professional Employees and the United Mine Workers of America. The Somerset County Association of Professional Employees represents probation officers and probation aides. The Somerset County Jail employees union is the United Mine Workers of America.

Within the 2023 spending plan, approved in December by the commissioners without a tax increase, the largest cost to the county is personnel. Salary and benefit costs total $22,615,971 of the $55.8 million budget.

Unless otherwise noted, salaries are effective as of Jan. 1.

The salary board decided the following:

  • set the 2023 hourly rate for part-time correctional officers for the jail at $16.79, a 48-cent-per-hour increase;

  • increase the hourly rates for part-time employers covered by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees contract for part-time deputy sheriff at $14.57 or 40 cents an hour increase; part-time communications officer at $12.26, or 40 cents an hour increase; and all other AFSCME part-time employees at $11.97. Continue the salaries for deputy sheriffs at $11.92 per hour per the AFSCME contract;

  • the United Mine Workers of America negotiated four-year bargaining contract was approved in December.

  • increase the annual salaries for all AFSCME Non-Professional Bargaining Unit employees by 40 cents per hour, and increase all AFSCME Professional Bargaining Unit employees based on years of service. Those with 10 years of service will receive an annual increase of $1,250 and those with 20 years of experience will receive a $1,750 increase. All other employees will receive an increase of 2.5%.

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  • increase salaries for all employees covered by the UMWA-Jail contract by 3% and move to the next step on the scale during the first pay period following anniversary date if applicable, according to the contract;

  • increase the salaries for all Somerset County Association of Professional Employees bargaining unit employees by 3%. Those employees' contract is up this year;

  • increase the annual salaries for all full-time employees not covered by union contracts by 3% or $1,000, whichever is greater;

  • increase the hourly rates of all part-time employees not covered by a union by 40 cents per hour;

  • increase the salary for Sonya Augustine in the position of county chief clerk in the commissioners' office from $47,755 to $55,000, a 15% increase, effective Jan. 7; and

  • reclassify a clerk position as a GIS assessment specialist at a starting salary range $30,000 to $32,000 in the tax assessment office.

The salary board set the number of employees in each department the same as 2022 with a few exceptions:

Created a grant writer position in the commissioners office (shared with Bedford County) for $40,000; a full-time correctional officer in the county jail for $34,923; part-time assistant victim/witness coordinator in the district attorney's office for $11.97 an hour; and a trail operations manager in trail management for $28,000.

The commissioners eliminated a temporary part-time probation officer aide in adult probation.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset County employee wages 2023