Carbon County adjusted four salaries as employees change positions within departments.

On Thursday, the county salary board approved changing the rate of the new IT director from $28.05 per hour to $27.37 per hour, effective June 12. Caleb Carpenter, who has served in the county IT department since September 2021, was promoted to the lead position, effective June 12.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said that while Caleb has accepted this salary, the county needs to try to be more competitive with outside companies.

Nothstein cited recent months when several department heads and other county employees left as a result of pay.

Commissioner Rocky Ahner said that he was for Caleb all along because “young people are our future.”

He added that the new IT department staff will bring a lot of new ideas for the county, and will be able to move the county forward quicker because of already knowing the system in place.

Ahner said that maybe in the next year, a salary adjustment can be looked at based on responsibilities now versus in the past.

He pointed out that the county is still saving money because the original IT director was making just under $36 per hour, and that savings could be used to readjust other salaries.

“That’s how we have to do it,” Ahner said.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich said that he feels the county is doing its best to hire the best candidates for the jobs while also maintaining fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers.

He noted that when Carpenter began, he started at $14.53 per hour and nearly doubled his salary in two years.

In other departments, the salary board approved changing the rate of the first deputy from $19.45 per hour to $20.42 per hour; and the rate of one second deputy from $15.05 per hour to $15.80 per hour, both effective June 12.

The county also changed the rate of one fiscal/legal assistant from $18.75 per hour to $18.29 per hour, effective June 12.