(a) Introduction. The County of Summit, in an effort to provide fair and equitable compensation for classified, non-bargaining unit employees, established compensation systems as follows:
Plan Category Of Employee
Category 1 Entry-level clerical and other supportive job classifications
Category 2 Specialized clerical, technical, paraprofessional and lower level supervisory classifications
Category 3 Administrative, management and professional classifications
The plans developed cover all classified non-bargaining unit employees who are under the jurisdiction of the following appointing authorities:
Clerk of Courts
County Council
Engineer
Executive
Fiscal Officer
Prosecutor
Sheriff
The plan will be administered by the Human Resource Commission. As existing classifications are revised or new classifications are created, the Director of the Department of Human Resources shall determine the category to which the classification will be assigned. The Director of the Department of Human Resources will evaluate the new or revised classification in accordance with the criteria established in the point factor manual appropriate to the category.
(b) Plan Structure - Categories 1, 2 And 3 Classifications. Each of the three (3) categories of job classifications has been assigned to a pay schedule. Each pay schedule features several pay grades. Within each pay grade, a minimum rate, midpoint rate, and a maximum rate have been identified. This structure will enable the County Council to grant increases on a percentage basis between the minimum and maximum.
Each non-bargaining classification has been assigned to a pay grade within the assigned pay schedule. These assignments have been the result of the point factor analysis of each classification and consideration of labor market factors. Employees shall advance through their assigned pay grade by way of receiving periodic general increases as authorized by the County Council and with the approval of the appropriate appointing authority.
In order to better illustrate the systems, the following discussion will examine each component.
(c) Minimum Rate, Midpoint Rate and Maximum Rate. The minimum rate for each pay grade, and the classifications assigned to that pay grade, is the base or starting rate. New employees shall normally be hired at the minimum rate for their classifications. Exceptions may be made for new employees who possess outstanding qualifications and/or experience. No new employee may be hired at a rate which exceeds the midpoint of the employee's pay grade unless authorized specifically by the County Council. The maximum rate is the top rate for a classification. No employee may be paid at a rate which exceeds the maximum rate for the employee's classification. The exception to this rule is any employee who is making more than the maximum rate at the time the new pay schedules are implemented.
Following an initial placement, promotion or reassignment of an existing employee, the employee will advance through pay grade by the granting of a general increase, based upon this decision of the County Council and the concurrence of the employee's appointing authority.
(d) General Pay Increases. The amount and frequency of general pay increases will be determined by the County Council. This general increase may include an adjustment of minimum or maximum rates. Decisions to increase minimum and/or maximum rates in any schedule should be based upon periodic wage survey data. The HRD shall conduct periodic surveys of comparable employers in order to provide input to the County Council in this decision making process.
In addition to any annual general increase to all classifications that may be approved by the County Council, upon the recommendation of the Director of the Department of Finance and Budget, the Director of the HRD and the HRC, Council recognizes the need to reward employees for their meritorious service. Any employee that has not reached the maximum of the pay grade may receive a discretionary increase of up to five percent (5%) per calendar year for exemplary service, as may be determined by the elected officeholder.
(e) Implementation. For purposes of implementing the new salary schedule, an employee will be assigned to a rate within the pay grade in accordance with the departmental employee rosters provided to the elected officeholders as a component of this plan. Initial and other step adjustments shall become effective as identified.
(f) Probationary Increases. An appointing authority shall be permitted to grant a newly hired employee, excluding promotions and reassignments, an increase of up to five percent (5%) upon successful completion of the employee's probationary period. However, such increase may not cause an employee's rate of pay to exceed the midpoint of the employee's pay grade. Probationary increases are not available for employees who are hired at a rate of pay at or beyond the midpoint for the employee's classification.
(g) Movement Between Pay Grades.
(1) Promotion. A promotion is the act of placing an employee in a classification, which requires greater skills, knowledge and abilities to perform more complex and responsible work than the employee was required to perform in the employee's previous position. When an employee is promoted, the employee will be advanced to whichever is the greater of the following:
A. The minimum rate for the employee's new classification; or
B. A rate of pay which is seven percent (7%) greater than the employee's current rate of pay provided that said increase does not exceed the maximum rate of pay established for the classification.
(2) Demotion. When an employee is reassigned to a lower classification, or reclassified to a lower classification, or demoted other than as a result of a disciplinary action or probationary reduction, or voluntarily accepts a reduction, the employee shall be placed at a rate in the new pay grade which does not exceed the employee's prior rate of pay. If the employee is reduced during the probationary period, the employee shall be returned to the former pay grade and placed at the rate that the employee would have been in if the employee had not accepted the promotion. If the employee is reduced for disciplinary reasons, the appointing authority shall assign the appropriate rate of pay.
(3) Transfer. A transfer is the act of moving an employee from a position in a work unit to a position with the same classification title in another work unit. A transfer may also result in a change in work location and/or supervisor, but not a change in significant job duties. An employee's rate of pay will not change as a result of this type of action.
(4) Lateral Movement. A lateral movement is when an employee is assigned to a position, which is in a different classification than the employee's former position, but the classifications are assigned to the same pay grade and schedule. An employee's rate of pay will not be affected by such change.
(5) Temporary Assignments. A temporary assignment is the act of assigning an employee to a job classification different than the employee's own for a temporary period of time. Such assignments normally occur because of illness, emergencies or other special circumstances. An employee temporarily assigned to a classification with a lower rate of pay will not be reduced in pay. An employee temporarily assigned to a classification with a higher rate of pay should be advanced to whichever is the greater of the following:
A. The minimum rate for the classification to which the employee has been temporarily assigned; or
B. A rate of pay which is at least seven percent (7%) greater than the employee's current rate of pay.
However, no temporary increase will exceed the maximum rate of pay established for a classification.
NOTE: In order to receive a temporary increase, an employee must be temporarily assigned the full duties and responsibilities of the higher level classification. Temporary assignment of partial duties and responsibilities of the higher-level classification will not qualify an employee for a temporary increase. Also, an employee who is temporarily assigned partial duties and responsibilities of a lower classification will not be eligible for additional compensation.
(Ord. 2004-596. Adopted 2-14-05; Ord. 2011-380. Adopted 11-7-11.)