Riley Co., Kan. — At their May 23rd public meeting, the Riley County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a mid-year pay increase for county employees. The increase will take effect for the July 1 pay date and will include $860,730 in salaries and $339,938 in benefits for a total fiscal impact of $1,200,718 in 2022. The increase is to be part of an employee retention and recruitment strategy designed to pay Riley County employees at market value, as determined by evaluation of job responsibilities and comparable compensation.
“With this evaluation, we discovered the county rates of pay have crept below the 25th percentile for most positions,” said Human Resources Manager Elizabeth Ward. “The mid-year increase will be applied to our pay scales consistently and specifically to remedy past pay policies which neglected merit and cost of living increases. Similar to other local organizations, we still have work to do to reach true market rate for all positions, accounting for skill level, experience, and tenure with Riley County.”
To fund the pay increase, Riley County will capture existing funds previously approved for the 2022 budget which are the result of higher than usual employee turnover, accumulated in unused benefits and unfilled positions in multiple departments. A proposal for the second phase of the salary increase will be included in the 2023 budget discussion. Presentations for the 2023 budget will begin in June.
“I think this is a great way to get the first step in place that will get the process started,” said Riley County Commission Chair Greg McKinley.
Riley County Commission Meetings are broadcast live online and video is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDSyVaYhK7Ba2dN_ZBt7bEw. Find agendas, minutes, and more information about the Riley County Board of County Commissioners at https://www.rileycountyks.gov/29/County-Commissioners
Find more information about Riley County online at www.RileyCountyKS.gov, by calling (785) 565-6200, or by visiting 110 Courthouse Plaza in Manhattan. Follow Riley County on Facebook /RileyCountyKS/, Twitter @RileyCountyKS, and Instagram rileycountyks.