Washington County raises staff pay by 3%

WASHINGTON — County supervisors voted unanimously Dec. 27 to raise the pay of most nonelected employees by 3%. The change took effect Jan. 1, intended to supplement a 7% increase at the start of the fiscal year last July.

The midyear increase was planned and budgeted for in December 2021. Board members said then that such a change would likely be necessary, but held off on approving it to see what the economy had in store.

“I don’t think they can plan a budget on, ‘Let’s review it in six months,’” Supervisor Jack Seward Jr. said at the time. “I think you should set the 7% to take effect at the beginning of the fiscal year … and then you could add 2% or 3% Jan. 1.”

County officials said almost no employees were excluded from the increase, although the ambulance department contained two such exceptions.

Interim Director Katrina Altenhofen and Suspended Director Jeremy Peck will not benefit from the raise. The first was hired just two weeks prior the latter was removed from the list by a vote a unanimous vote at the meeting.

"One reason somebody wouldn’t get a programmed raise was if their performance was unsatisfactory,“ Seward said in an interview after the meeting. ”If you’re on paid leave, pending investigation, you can infer that it’s not a satisfactory job performance.“

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