Greene County Board of Elections
WHAT: Board meeting
WHEN: 3 p.m., October 28, 20114
WHERE: 551 Ledbetter Road, Xenia
Greene County Board of Elections board members say they are reviewing their budget to determine if the agency will run out of cash before the end of the year.
County commissioners this week said the agency is projected to face a $22,000 shortfall in December and questioned significant pay increases issued to elections employees this year. Elections officials said they have not confirmed the county’s projections yet.
“At this point it’s undetermined,” said Greene County Board of Elections Chairman Brian Lampton.
The elections board is funded through the county general fund, but overseen by a its own four-member board. The elections board budget must be approved by county commissioners, however their approval is not needed for promotions or salary increases.
Lampton said the issue of a potential payroll deficit was not discussed during any elections board meetings. When the board discussed employee pay increases, the former elections board director, Nancy Johannes, confirmed the agency could afford the higher annual salaries, he said. However there were no board meetings that included an in-depth analysis on the impact of the pay raises on the budget.
“I’m confident that we will be able to work this out,” Lampton said.
Lampton declined to further comment on the board’s knowledge of the implications of salary increases on the elections agency’s budget.
The wage increases impact on the budget will be discussed at the next elections board meeting scheduled for Oct. 28.
The wage increases were the result of a series of promotions and an effort by the board to align election workers salaries with those of other employees in the county, according to elections board members.
Lampton said based on the classifications and pay ranges used for employees working in departments overseen by county commissioners, elections employees were earning less than their counterparts.
“When the employees were promoted, we discussed the amount of their pay and we asked the staff to please make sure this is within (the) budget,” Lampton said.
Llyn McCoy, the agency’s former deputy director, received a 5 percent increase this year which elevated her salary from $55,140.80 to $57,948.80 this year. She received another 26 percent increase to $73,216 after she was promoted to director in May.
The annual salary range for a director working in a department under the county commission board is $52,707 to $86,028.
McCoy has been with the agency for more than two decades, and almost half of that time was spent in a leadership role after she was promoted to deputy director in 2004. She is an elections/registration administrator certified through the National Association of Election Officials.
At the same time when they increased the director’s annual pay, the board also increased the deputy director’s salary from $57,948 to $73,216.
“They both have equal responsibilities,” Lampton said. “They both are going to be doing the same things, and they are going to be switching places every two years. We felt that was equitable.”
Assistant directors employed under the county commissioners annually earn $41,371.20 to $86,028.08.
In addition to director and deputy director, Kathleen Funk received a 10 percent raise this year, which pushed her salary from $33,945 to $37,544, when she was promoted from campaign finance assistant to a supervisory position as the absentee department manager.
William Miller, an administrative assistant and ballot programmer, received a 27 percent raise early this year , which increased his salary from $22,900.80 to $29,182.40, and last month received a 14 percent pay increase to $35,360 when he was promoted to campaign finance assistant.
Under the county commission the salary range for administrative support assistants is $18,969.60 to $29,660.80.
Within departments under the county commissioners, annual pay increases, such as a cost of living raise, are given at the discretion of the commissioners. In 2012 and 2013, commissioners approved a 2 percent pay increase for non-union employees. However, the county pay scale has not been adjusted to account for pay raises issued after 2010.
Salary increases related to promotions for county employees under the commissioners is a little higher.
“When an employee is promoted to a classification with a higher pay range, the employee shall be assigned to a salary that will provide an increase of 5 percent or the (beginning of ) the new pay range whichever is greater,” said Rachel Livengood, the Greene County personnel director, referring to the employee handbook.
Two elections administrative assistants received pay raises this year to align their salaries with those of other county employees in similar positions, McCoy said. According to county data, Deborah Campbell received a 36 percent increase, from $23,400 to $31,824. Charlotte Mowery received a 40 percent pay increase, from $22,714 to $31,824. Both workers also received an additional 4 percent increase in May, according to elections board data.
Timothy Engle, a administrative support assistant, also received 14 percent wage increase from $22,276 to $25,314 in May.
McCoy said the focus of the salary comparison was more on employees wages withing Greene County. Wage comparison that factored in the number of registered voters was not less of a concern.
“That’s a good start, but we’re not comparing apples to apples,” McCoy said. “It’s different. We have different staff sizes. Some folks have comp time. Some get bonuses. Some don’t.”
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