Sampson County leaders on Monday approved implementing 2.5% pay raises for all full-time and part-time county staff, effective Jan. 1, 2023, as well as offering hiring bonus for several “hard-to-fill” positions in an effort to recruit candidates to vacancies. The measures were unanimously approved by the Sampson County Board of Commissioners.

County Manager Ed Causey gave an update on efforts regarding employee recruitment and compensation challenges during Monday’s regular Sampson County Board of Commissioners meeting.

At the November meeting, the board authorized the procurement of a comprehensive market study to be performed as soon as possible with recommendations to be fully implemented within budgetary restrictions. That process is underway with the expectation that the completed market study will be available by early summer, Causey stated.

The board also directed staff to immediately research and implement operational changes which would enhance the county’s competitiveness when recruiting new employees and improve the retention of existing employees.

“The circumstance regarding vacancies continues to exacerbate the challenges in several departments. In addition, and as you know, inflation and supply chain issues continue to affect all employees,” Causey stated. “Recognizing that market study will not be available until later in 2023 and that we will continue reviewing our circumstances with personnel during the budget process we offer the following as the first steps in addressing our employment challenges.”

He then detailed two large proposed steps, which he called “first steps.”

Those steps, subsequently approved by the board, were:

• Beginning Jan. 1, 2023 and continuing through June 30, 2023, provide a $2,004 hiring bonus — to be paid over 12 months — for identified hard-to-fill positions. Those include: social worker for Protective Services (child and adult); nurse; physician extender; EMT/paramedic; Detention officer I, II and III; Deputy I, II and III; telecommunicator; and senior planner

The estimated cost based on current vacancies is $90,180, Causey stated.

• Implement a 2.5% pay raises for all full-time and part-time staff effective Jan. 1, 2023 and reflected in the Feb. 15, 2023 payroll. Projected costs includes $375,000 (includes fringe benefits); $12,500 for part-time employees; and $15,000 for budgeted overtime.

“We want to emphasize that these are the first steps in dealing with employee compensation, and we expect to be making additional recommendations as the market study and budget are completed.”

Last month, county leaders approved moving forward with a comprehensive market study to evaluate employee salaries, and begin to engage in discussions that will “redefine government” as Sampson leaders figure out how to alleviate staffing and compensation issues.

That will include exploring the utilization of non-traditional work schedules, as well as other incentives used by other local governments and private industry, while monitoring and evaluating them for effectiveness and inclusion in future budgets. The goal is to recruit and retain quality staff, county officials said.

“As we have discussed, employment challenges are not limited to one department, they are not limited to one local government, and they are not limited to public versus private industry,” a county memo from Causey last month read. “The issues – that we are competing for a diminishing workforce of willing, able, and qualified workers, that we are experiencing a tsunami of retirement by trained, knowledgeable personnel, and that we are shifting to a generation of employees whose expectation of work environment is vastly different than how we currently operate — are pervasive.”

Causey, on Monday, noted that the proposed pay bump — now approved — was the latest in measures taken to raise compensation, recruit new employees and retain existing ones.

In July 2021, the board approved a 5% raise for all employees. There was also a bump in moving some employees along the pay scale, at a cost of $500,000. In December 2021, a 2.1% bonus was approved for all employees working as of June 30, 2021. In January 2022, an additional 5% pay increase was approved for all employees. On top of that, Detention Center employees also received a 5% pay raise in that timeframe.

Editor Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 2587.