Bernalillo County employees are getting pay raises that a spokesperson says will make their wages competitive with what people are making in similar areas.
The 10% increase comes after the human resources department conducted market research to determine how well the county is paying its workers compared to 16 nearby cities and counties, as well as the state government. The figure is an average, spread across all job categories.
Shirley Ragin, deputy county manager for finance, said staff studied the duties, experience and education of more than 1,000 employees in setting up the new pay guidelines.
County Spokesperson Tia Bland said the turnover rate is 6.6%, and the new salary scale is part of a retention strategy.
Read more about salary hikes for the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies here.
County Manager Julie Morgas Baca said during a meeting last month that the research compared the county to peer agencies within and outside the state; among those examined were the cities of Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe and Las Cruces and Sandoval, Doña Ana and Santa Fe counties.
“HR cast the net really, really wide and we looked at everybody, but they were very reasonable,” she said. “We weren’t comparing ourselves to Sandia Labs. We know that we can’t compete with them.”
The result, she said, is that some employees’ salaries will be closer to market averages. Morgas Baca said about 170 employees are at or near market-rate pay. Those workers will each receive a one-time $5,000 payout only, but no hourly pay hike.
Morgas Baca said the raises will reduce turnover and stabilize operations, but that it’s also a move of fairness to a staff that has demonstrated its dedication to the county and its residents.
“Even if this didn’t pass, I am 110% sure that these people behind me and those that couldn’t attend the meeting, our staff, they’re going to carry on and they’re going to do the best job that they can do,” she said.
Commission Chair Barbara Baca told City Desk ABQ the pay increase should help the county’s recruitment and retention efforts. She said she’s particularly pleased to raise the wages of Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office personnel, as the department has faced losses of officers to other agencies.
Baca said she and her colleagues wanted to make a statement with the new salary schedule.
“Not just with the cost-of-living adjustment, but something meaningful,” she said.
Baca said the county can afford the hikes without raising taxes, as it has enough in its coffers to place them into the $1.2 billion budget.
Commissioner Eric Olivas said he had listed staffing retention and recruitment as his priority when the board began its budget planning.
“I just want to commend you for the methodical approach that your staff took to make this happen,” he told Morgas Baca.
Other local governments are also increasing employees’ pay, although the increases are much smaller.
- Albuquerque city councilors approved a 3.5% raise earlier in May.
- The Town of Bernalillo budget includes a 5% salary increase for all town staff. This increase is designed to offset an estimated 3.4% climb in the cost of living.
- The Corrales Village Council is discussing a 3.8% cost-of-living raise for village employees. Corrales’ first responders’ retirement benefits will also be improved.