By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

The Ellis County Commission approved the first step of an update to salary and personnel classification changes at Monday’s commission meeting.

In 2014, Ellis County commissioned Evergreen Solutions to conduct a wage and benefit study, but the commission did not implement the study. Instead, the commission only adopted the recommendation to bring employees to the minimum pay rate based market information in the study.

Because the commission enacted a 1 percent pay increase for all county employees, County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes said the pay plan in the study needs to be updated.

The measure approved Monday includes the adoption of a new pay plan for all classified employees – except county commissioners — and employees covered by the bargaining agreement for Emergency Medical services and updates several job descriptions and classifications.

Smith-Hanes said the moves are an effort to get the county on a path to a “clear and understandable” pay and classification system.

“This establishes policy and positions control mechanisms that will allow your commission to provide effective policy direction for a county HR system,” said Smith-Hanes.

He said the move does not fully implement the study but puts the county in line with the fundamentals of the pay plan.

County Commissioner Dean Haselhorst said it “is a work in progress.”

According to Smith-Hanes the changes will cost about $22,000 for the rest of 2016 and $83,000 in 2017.

The 2016 changes will be funded by savings from salaries of vacant positions.

Commissioner Barb Wasinger was absent.

In other business, the commission:

• Approved the purchase of a 2016 Chevrolet pickup from Hays Chevrolet for the Rural Fire Department for $32,000.

• Heard a monthly health report from Health Administrator Butch Schlyer and an Extension update from Horticultural Agent Holly Dickman.