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<br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ~!BSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: December 4, 2000 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~~ <br />SUBJECT: Personnel Ordinance Amendment -Equity/Retention Salary Adjustment <br />DEPARTMENT: Personnel PUBLIC HEARING; (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Draft Personnel Ordinance Amendment - Elaine Holmes, Personnel Director, <br />Equity/Retention Salary Adjustment Extension 2550 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel HIII 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider an amendment to the Orange County Personnel Ordinance section <br />covering Equity/Retention Salary Adjustment to give the Manager authority to approve <br />temporary amendments to the classification and pay plan to address retention needs. <br />BACKGROUND: ,During 1998-99, the Board of Commissioners completed a comprehensive <br />review of the employee pay and benefits plan. As a result of its review, one element the Board <br />approved adding to the pay plan was the establishment of an "Equity/Retention Fund." Under <br />this policy as set out in the Orange County Personnel Ordinance, the Manager may approve an <br />equity or retention salary adjustment to establish equitable salary relationships among <br />employees in a work unit or in related work units or to address retention needs, within the <br />availability of funds. For 1999-00 and 2000-01, the Board approved a fund of $25,000 annually <br />for the Manager's use to address such issues. <br />During 1999-00, the Manager used the fund successfully to address equitable salary <br />relationship issues in specific work situations. As reported earlier, the Manager approved 24 <br />salary adjustments under this fund in 1999-00. <br />However, in terms of addressing retention needs, the Manager and Personnel have identified <br />the need far the capability to address retention needs when the employee is at or near the <br />salary range maximum. Under the present Ordinance (Item 20.4), no employee may receive an <br />adjustment that results in the employee's salary being above the maximum of the salary range. <br />This means -even when a retention issue exists -that the Manager may not authorize a salary <br />adjustment to address it. <br />It is recommended that the Ordinance be amended to give the Manager the authority to address <br />a retention need when the employee is at or near the salary range maximum for the assigned <br />salary grade. As provided in the attached draft Personnel Ordinance amendment, the Manager <br />