Pay raises considered for DeKalb employees

DeKalb government employees could be getting raises as a result of a pay study designed to make the county more competitive with its neighbors.

The study, which was presented to the DeKalb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, calls for higher pay ranges that are more in line with market rates. In addition, the study considers the possibility of 4 percent raises for thousands of employees.

DeKalb commissioners will decide whether to fund salary increases when they vote on the county's mid-year budget in July.

The study, conducted for the county by The Archer Company at a cost of nearly $475,000, found that DeKalb’s pay ranges are at least 10 percent below market rates, with a significant proportion behind nearby jurisdictions by 25 percent or more. DeKalb trails its peers most significantly in pay ranges for fleet service technicians, electricians, crew supervisors, auditors and detention officers.

"Your pay ranges were in such bad shape that it was making it difficult to recruit folks," Chip King of The Archer Company told county commissioners. "You've got to get your minimum-level pay reflective of what the market is."

The study provides three options:

• Create higher pay ranges, with automatic raises for employees earning less than the proposed minimum. Cost: $5.7 million a year.
• In addition to new pay ranges, lower-paid employees could receive 4 percent raises, with 2 percent raises for everyone else. Cost: $10.8 million annually.
• In addition to new pay ranges, most employees could receive 4 percent raises, with higher-ranking employees receiving 2 percent raises. Cost: $12.6 million a year.