Salary disputes remain an issue for those employed by Carbon County.

During the public comment portion of the salary board meeting, there were both some in favor and against an employee asking for a raise.

After a few comments, Karen Sweeney, first deputy clerk of courts, stood up and spoke.

“I am the person that everybody has been talking about,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney said she came to Carbon County with 20 years of experience, and that at the time of hire, there would be a motion to the salary board to start at higher pay because of her experience.

“I kind of feel I’ve been pushed to the wayside if you will. From the day I started in the Clerk of Courts office, I needed very little training. I was able to come in and do my job from day one. My increase in January (6%) of this year was because I took on another responsibility in the office when the director of collections position was abolished - I got those responsibilities given to me,” Sweeney said. “But at the same time, what’s fair for one is fair for another. If people are getting hired at a higher rate because of their experience, and I’ve received nothing, it’s right to ask for that same increase.”

“I just want to point one thing out, that promise that you had, was never brought to the salary board,” said Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein. “And I think Mr. (Tom) Gerhard can vouch for that, since he was the only one that was here at the time.

Nothstein acknowledged work needs to be done. “We all know that the salaries are low here in the county and it’s very difficult to make a move such as this at this particular time, especially since we are now in a salary study. It’s going to be some time until it will be completed. There’s going to be winners, there’s going to be losers,” Nothstein said. “We have some serious, serious issues that we have to address here. It’s a difficult position for all of us to be in here as a salary board and we are working toward trying to make it fair.”

Tyra Boni, Carbon Clerk of Courts, went to bat for her employee.

Boni made three similar motions later in the meeting - to raise the first deputy’s rate of pay from $19.46 per hour to $21.90, $21.26 and $20.64 respectively. Each motion did not pass by a 3-2 vote, as Nothstein, commissioner Rocky Ahner and controller Mark Sverchek voted no.

“Whatever happened five or six years ago, I was never privy to that, so I don’t want to be carried into that conversation where somebody else told you, because I never told anyone they were getting a raise in executive session or not,” Ahner said.

“My voice is right here at this public meeting and that’s where my opinion is.”

Boni said the compensation issue spans across many departments.

“This county has serious problem with retaining key and educated employees because they’re not willing to pay,” Boni said.

“This office, whether I’m here next year or not, has very little experience, and if you’re not willing to put your money, and the taxpayer’s money, behind someone who is worthy of those increases, we’re in big trouble in this county, because you’re not willing to see and recognize the importance of paying individuals that will be an asset to this county to keeping those individuals in this county.”

In January, the board of commissioners approved a contract with Evergreen Solutions LLC of Tallahassee, Florida, to conduct a classification and compensation study of all current positions in the county.

As of January, the employee compensation document includes about 16 levels for salaries for nonsupervisory positions and about 21 levels for supervisory.

“We have 403 employees, and everyone is valuable, it doesn’t matter which one it is,” said Ahner. “Everyone gotta buy the same tomato, everyone gotta buy the same potato. And if I could give everybody $3 an hour raises, I would gladly do it, because I think everybody is worth it. But this here going in between all of the time - adding and subtracting - this is unbelievable how this is operating here.”

The goal of the study is to look at all positions and job descriptions and determine a proper compensation scale across all departments for the same type of positions, while also evaluating and building a comprehensive future plan for salary compensations looking into the future.

“I think we have to have it that the salary study is done, and I’ve seen salary studies - people are not going to like it,” Ahner said.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich believes pay should be based on merit.

“There is clearly a philosophical difference between those of us sitting up here on the dais,” said Lukasevich. “Everyone gets an award, compared to merit-based. Everyone gets a trophy, everyone deserves two-to-three dollar raises. That’s wrong. How can we do merit? It’s about an effective evaluation system. It’s not a system that we currently have in the county, where the current chief is expected to evaluate 21 department heads a year.”