Wasco Co. adjusts employee compensation plan

Finance Director Mike Middleton explained the updates were behind “because of change over some staff and catching everything up. We’re doing it late this year.”

According to Grenya, HR Answers has worked with the county since 2014 to help set structures and measurements that allow the county to assess the internal value of its employee’s work and recommend pay adjustments.

How does the county decide how much employees are paid?

Wasco County documents job characteristics that can be compared both internally and to the market.

Shoorl elaborated, “Every job is evaluated against these same factors. If factors change, we automatically review the external market, because that often signals market comparators have also shifted.”

Between 2022 and 2025, 36 jobs underwent this process. Shoorl explained that frequent review is increasingly necessary as market conditions fluctuate more rapidly than in previous decades. Salary survey data, once updated every few years, now sees quarterly updates.

For external equity — comparing county roles to the broader market — HR Answers reviewed data primarily from the Economic Research Institute and Comp Analyst 360, relying less upon direct county-to-county comparisons, which, she said, were difficult to obtain when the company reached out to neighboring counties.

“Unfortunately, we did not get good responses,” she said. “We only received full information from Hood River County, partial data from Umatilla, and found Clatsop County’s online.”

Despite these limitations, Wasco County is positioned competitively, lagging behind the general market by only 1%. However, HR Answers highlighted significant disparities: some positions were as much as 35% below market rates, while others exceeded market averages by 36%.

“Jobs over market generally are left alone,” Grenya advised, “letting the market catch up naturally. Under-market roles, however, need attention for competitive recruitment and retention.”

Who gets a raise?

Commissioners were advised to apply a recommended 3% across-the-board cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for fiscal year 2025. This adjustment is slightly above the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) increase for the western region, projected at 2.5% for 2025.

HR Answers also suggested expanding the pay structure by adding two new grades to accommodate roles currently experiencing pay compression. Compression occurs when lower-level employees’ salaries approach or surpass their supervisors’, an issue notably observed in the sheriff’s office.

“Adding additional grades helps alleviate this compression,” Shoorl said.

Eleven positions were highlighted for individual market adjustments after structural changes: roles such as the chief deputy district attorney, GIS analysts, and property appraisers would receive upgrades ranging from two to four pay grades.

For management roles, recommended adjustments included placing the finance director, community development director, and information services director uniformly at the same grade to reflect internal equity, despite varying external market placements.

“Pretty much all the departments will be fine with this budget generally,” said Middleton. “Public works may require a budget adjustment because that had the largest change.”

Commissioner Phil Brady gave words of appreciation to HR Answers, saying, “I really appreciate the detail on this. As I learn the philosophy behind our compensation, I am pleased with how thorough the process has been.”