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COMMISSIONERS’ MINUTES <br />KITTITAS COUNTY, WASHINGTON <br />WEBEX <br />REGULAR MEETING <br />HR STUDY SESSION <br />informed the Board that rates are increasing 9-10% nationwide, so the County’s rate increase is not of <br />major concern. Commissioners Wachsmith and Wright approved the 2021 benefit rates. Director Young <br />will move forward with 2021 open enrollment using the approved benefit rates. <br />SURVEY MONKEY RESULTS – POTENTIAL IMPACT OF SCHOOL/DAYCARE CLOSURES <br />Director Young presented a summary of the 185 responses she received from a survey she sent to <br />County staff to gather feedback about the potential impacts of school and daycare closures related to <br />COVID-19. Of the survey takers who had children, ten respondents indicated that they would have no <br />alternative but to take leave without pay if they needed to care for their child(ren) during their work <br />day. Per the survey, 94% of employees felt supported through COVID-19. Director Young advised the <br />Board that she received a suggestion to reissue the survey a month or two after the beginning of the <br />school year to see if responses may change once parents gain some experience in the new schooling <br />process. Commissioners Wachsmith and Wright expressed interest in reissuing the survey. Director <br />Young will resend the survey to employees in approximately four weeks. <br />COMPENSATION PROJECT (This agenda item was moved and discussed after the Executive Session <br />agenda item.) <br />Director Young summarized several compensation projects she has been working on for the Board. The <br />first project involved positions and wages of support staff within the Commissioner’s Office. Director <br />Young performed an internal comparison of positions and found that the Clerk of the Board position <br />compared most closely to the Chief Administrator position. The Deputy Clerk II compared most closely <br />to an Office Administrator, and the Deputy Clerk I compared closely to an Administrative Assistant or <br />Permit Technician position. The Board will review the various options and discuss at a later date. <br />The second project involved modifying the wage range for the Kittitas Valley Event Center (KVEC) <br />Director. Director Young summarized that there aren’t many comps for the position and recommended <br />bringing the KVEC Director wage range in line with the Airport Director range. She explained that both <br />positions are responsible for managing a large facility and generating revenue from their respective <br />facilities. Commissioners Wachsmith and Wright approved bringing the KVEC Director wage range in <br />line with that of the Airport Director. Director Young will work with the Commissioner’s Office staff to <br />draft a PAF, and Commissioner Wachsmith will discuss the wage adjustment with the KVEC Director. <br />The last project discussed regarded moving non-union employees to a wage step system, similar to <br />union wage scales. Director Young reached out to ten counties to learn more about their wage plans <br />and found that seven utilize wage scales rather than ranges for their non-union staff. Director Young <br />presented an 11-step scale system with employees generally moving up one step each year on their <br />position anniversary date. She proposed other potential merit-based options like freezing an employee <br />on the scale for poor performance, and rewarding exceptional performance with multi-step increases. <br />Director Young also researched longevity pay for non-union employees and found that five out of the <br />ten counties she contacted provided longevity pay to their long-term staff. Commissioners Wachsmith