County commissioners adopt Arnold Group wage study with 2026 start date

Montgomery County commissioners voted to adopt the Arnold Group wage study and put a formal pay-scale maintenance schedule on the county books. The resolution sets Jan. 1, 2026, as the implementation date and establishes a 1% pay-scale maintenance beginning in 2027.

The county staff member who presented the study told commissioners that the work session following last week's meeting produced no material changes to the study beyond wording suggested by legal counsel. "We still have 01/01/2026 as the official implementation date, and we still have 1% pay scale maintenance in there beginning in 2027," the staff member said.

The presenter also said the new resolution is written to supersede and repeal prior resolutions so that the wage study applies uniformly to county employees, department heads and elected officials. "In years past," the staff member said, the 2021 study had not been formally adopted, and pay-scale maintenance had fallen off track; the new resolution is intended to keep the county on a consistent schedule.

Commissioners moved and seconded the measure and called for the vote. Chair Beaver recorded a "yes" vote. The clerk confirmed the commission will receive the original document for signature and legal filing next week.

The resolution requires the formal repeal of earlier related resolutions so the Arnold Group study becomes the controlling document for grading and pay alignment across county positions. County staff said adopting the study will require implementation work by payroll and human resources before the Jan. 1, 2026, effective date.

Commissioners did not raise additional substantive questions after the work session review, and the motion carried in the session.