BEDFORD — Continuing forward into budget season, the Bedford County Board of Supervisors this week reviewed local revenue estimates and county employee pay study results in a work session to help guide county administrators and the board in crafting a budget for the next fiscal year.
A pay study conducted by Evergreen Solutions, LLC, revealed that overall, salaries for Bedford County employees trail behind average market rates.
The greatest disparities were seen in salaries on the minimum end of the spectrum, averaging about 11% below market rate for local government positions, and trailing about 25% behind private-sector salary rates for comparable positions.
The pay study also addressed employee comments and concerns. One of the biggest highlights noted was an issue of observed salary compression between entry-level worker salaries and long-term employees who traditionally might be earning more money.
The highest turnover rates were identified in public safety and first responder departments, the study found, primarily because other localities offered higher salaries and attracted more candidates. Going forward, the board was urged to make public safety pay adjustments a priority.
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The board of supervisors likely will choose a course of action to address the study’s findings in April.
A preliminary estimate of local revenues was provided at Monday's work session after the pay study results.
Estimates were made on the conservative side, especially as county finance staff are adjusting to a new calculating system, but findings showed meal tax revenues are rebounding since taking a bit of a hit at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, personal property tax revenues had a “significant uptick,” and local sales tax revenues continue an upward trend, according to Ashley Anderson, Bedford County's director of finance.
Local sales tax revenues are “through the roof. [There is] no sign of it slowing down right now,” Anderson said. An estimated $9 million in these revenues — about 18% above the prior fiscal year — is projected, based on the current trend, she said.
Personal property tax revenue increases, projected at about a $8.3 million increase, are primarily due to the appreciation of vehicle values, Anderson said. The trend of vehicle appreciation, in spite of their use and mileage, also is seen nationwide.
Also in the work session, supervisors were alerted to some employee retention issues faced by the Bedford County Nursing Home since December, and reviewed some proposed incentives — namely, attendance bonuses — aimed at retaining and recruiting staff.
“We lost a bunch going to other opportunities,” said Paul Poff, administrator of the nursing home that houses 90 residents at 1229 County Farm Road. “We knew we had to make an adjustment.”
The proposal given to the board was requested to help address the current fiscal year, according to the nursing home’s document outlining the plan, which hinged mainly on attendance bonuses.
Over the next eight pay periods of the current fiscal year, the nursing home administration proposed attendance bonuses per pay period of $250 for full-time CNAs and LPNs; $125 for part-time CNAs and LPNs; $125 for all full-time staff who are not CNAs or LPNs; and $62.50 for all part-time staff who are not CNAs or LPNs.
Additionally, the nursing home proposed offering a referral bonus, which would pay an employee $500 if they refer a job candidate to the nursing home, and the referred individual is hired and works for 90 days.
The document said that among retention and recruiting of staff members, the incentives aim to reduce call-outs — unless staff are sick, in which case they should take time off for health reasons, Poff emphasized — and shows nursing home administration “heard our employees and have acted upon in best way we could.”
The nursing home’s budget covers the bonus costs, so no fiscal impact would be felt.
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