Northampton Supervisors mulling pay raises for staff

The Northampton Board of Supervisors are mulling additional pay raises for staff after a presentation by the County’s Administrator and Finance Director at Tuesday night’s work session.

Citing statistics in pay for comparable positions in other counties, including Accomack, Finance Director John Chandler and County Administrator Charlie Kolakowski made several recommendations, including bringing all current hourly employees up to $15 an hour and a $1 per hour pay increase across the board for the County’s 235 employees, effective in November. The recommended pay increases would not cover Social Services, 911 and ESVA Broadband Authority.

“We need to try something different,” said Kolakowski in discussion about the proposal. “We’ve had jobs that have been vacant a long time.”

Also among the recommendations include increasing pay grades for certain positions.

According to Chandler, Northampton County lost 10 employees to other local governments and five more are known to be considering a move.

The proposal would cost $568,000 a year, and could be paid for by any number of revenue streams that have increased in the County this year, such as interest income, fines, security fees and waste collection fees.

“We’ve got to be competitive,” said Supervisor John Coker. “But the problem with ongoing expenses is… they go on forever and they get bigger too… It’s recurring, and some of the stuff you’re going to pay for it with isn’t going to reoccur.”

The Northampton Board did approve a cost of living adjustment for staff with the new budget effective July 1 and another adjustment is scheduled for the new year.

The Board of Supervisors decided not to take action on the proposal, but will continue the discussion at the regular monthly board meeting in October.