Responsible Department: Personnel

Modified Date (s): October 7, 1997

Legislative Policy Statement:

Resolution No.:

I. Definitions:

1. EMPLOYEES REPRESENTED BY BARGAINING UNITS

Compensation plans and all processes for determining employee salaries are determined by provisions of bargaining agreements. Copies of these agreements are available from the Personnel Department.

2. EMPLOYEES NOT REPRESENTED BY BARGAINING UNITS (ELECTED OFFICIALS, MANAGEMENT AND CONFIDENTIAL EMPLOYEES)

A. ELECTED OFFICIALS. Position levels (labor grades) are not established for elected officials. The Legislature establishes the salaries of elected officials by Resolution. This Resolution must be passed prior to the date after which petitions to place a candidate on the ballot may lawfully be passed and signed. Salaries of elected officials may not be changed during the term to which they are elected.

This provision does not apply to the position of District Attorney for as long as the salary of that position is determined by State law.

B. MANAGEMENT AND CONFIDENTIAL EMPLOYEES

1. COMPENSATION PLANS (SALARY SCHEDULES). Compensation plans including the hiring rate and working rate for each position level are established by Resolution of the Legislature on recommendation of the Personnel Commissioner, the County Administrator, and the Legislature’s personnel committee. (“Hiring Rate” for management staff was formerly known as “Minimum”; “Working Rate” was formerly known as “Midpoint”.)

2. STARTING SALARIES AND MOVEMENT TO WORKING RATE FOR CONFIDENTIAL EMPLOYEES. Confidential employees may be hired at either the hiring rate or the working rate assigned to the position, but to no point in between. If the department head or other appointing authority wishes to appoint a new hire at working rate, a request must be submitted to the Commissioner of Personnel.

The Commissioner of Personnel shall determine if the working rate is appropriate by Saluating the previous training and experience of the person being hired. If only the minimum qualifications are met, the hire rate would be appropriate and the incumbent will move to the working rate in accordance with the schedule specified in the CSEA White Collar Bargaining Agreement. If the Commissioner determines that the duties performed by the new hire in a previous position were substantially similar to those of the new position and the person has already served a period of time in a previous position equal to or greater than the training period of the county position, then the individual may be hired at the working rate.

3. STARTING SALARIES FOR MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEES. The starting salary for all management employees upon hire or promotion is determined by the procedures below.

The starting salary may not be less than the hiring rate. The appointing authority may authorize a starting salary up to the working rate if the employee has previously demonstrated competence in carrying out all of the major responsibilities of the position.

The appointing authority may authorize a starting salary that is more than the hiring rate but less than the working rate when the management employee has previously demonstrated competence in carrying out some, but not all, of the major responsibilities of the position.

The appointing authority may propose to establish a starting salary for a management employee that is higher than the working rate based on the needs of the department. Such requests must be reviewed and recommended upon by the Personnel Commissioner and the County Administrator. The Personnel Commissioner shall review salaries being paid to other management staff and shall identify any inequities that the proposal may create. All such proposals must be recommended upon by the program committee for the department involved and must be approved by the Legislature.

4. MOVEMENT TO WORKING RATE FOR MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEES. Movement to working rate for management employees may not be slower than the process specified in the CSEA White Collar Bargaining Agreement.

5. SALARIES OF NEW RECLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES. Whenever a management or confidential employee is reclassified the employee shall be paid a salary that is at the same place on the pay scale of the new labor grade that the employee had been earning in the former labor grade.

6. CHANGES IN SALARIES. The Legislature changes the salaries of management and confidential employees by Resolution on recommendation of the County Administrator, the Personnel Commissioner, and its personnel committee.

Ordinarily the salaries of all current management and confidential employees are changed at the same time. In very unusual circumstances the needs of a department may make it necessary to change the salary of one current employee or a small number of employees. All such changes must be recommended upon by the department head, the Personnel Commissioner, the County Administrator, and the Legislature’s personnel committee and approved by resolution of the Legislature.

Tompkins County does not maintain a “step system” that provides automatic additional salary increases based on length of service. New employees should be advised of this fact since such systems are common in the public sector.