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COMMISSIONERS’ MINUTES <br />HR STUDY SESSION <br />KITTITAS COUNTY, WASHINGTON <br />BOCC CONFERENCE ROOM <br />SPECIAL MEETING <br /> <br />THURSDAY 10:00 AM 5/12/2022 <br /> <br />Board members present: Cory Wright, Brett Wachsmith <br />Others: Clay Myers, Dan Carlson, Patti Johnson, Mark Cook, Christopher Whitsett, Stephanie Hartung, <br />Kristine Foreman, Jeanne Killgore <br /> <br />CALL TO ORDER <br />The meeting was called to order at 10:00 AM. <br />REQUEST APPROVAL FOR LONG RANGE PLANNER WAGE ADJUSTMENTS <br />CDS Director Carlson provided the Board with a recruitment update for his Long Range Planner vacancy. <br />All recruitment efforts have been unsuccessful, so Director Carlson and HR researched alternative options <br />including an adjustment to the wage range and contracting with a recruiting firm. Citing the high cost of <br />recruitment firms and the Planner wages of surrounding Counties, Director Carlson requested Board <br />approval to increase the Long Range Planner wage range. The Board approved a wage range increase. HR <br />will work with CDS to advertise the position with the revised wage range. <br />DISCUSSION OF WAGE COMPRESSION IN THE KITTITAS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE <br />Sheriff Myers summarized that there is an issue of wage compression among the command staff in the <br />Sheriff’s Office and requested that the Board authorize a permanent wage gap between the command <br />staff and those whom they supervise. Sheriff Myers explained that the command staff currently earn less <br />than the employees they supervise. This does not accurately reflect the experience and responsibilities <br />that their positions require. Commissioner Wachsmith requested a spreadsheet to see the cost impact of <br />the requested changes. Sheriff Myers will put that together and bring it back to the next HR Study Session <br />for the Board to review. <br />CONSIDER A PROPOSAL TO ELIMINATE THE 6-MONTH WAITING PERIOD FOR NEW EMPLOYEES TO USE <br />VACATION BENEFITS (KITTITAS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE) <br />Sheriff Myers requested that the Board remove policy language that requires new employees to wait six <br />months before being able to access and use their vacation leave bank. He suggested that managers <br />should have the authority to allow vacation use during the first six months of employment, if the <br />employee has the accrued leave available. Sheriff Myers also suggested that employees not be allowed to <br />cash out their accrued vacation leave should they leave the County within the first six months of <br />employment. The Board expressed interest in the proposed policy change. HR Director Foreman will draft <br />the policy change and bring it forward at the next HR Study Session. <br />REQUEST APPROVAL OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN KITTITAS COUNTY AND <br />AFSCME LOCAL 792 FOR RECOGNIZING AND CLASSIFYING NEW POSITION IN PUBLIC WORKS <br />This item was continued at the 5/13/2022 HR Study Session.