Kentucky committee hears Finance Cabinet on PVA pay schedule; approves past minutes

Chair Thomas opened the committee and the members approved previously unapproved minutes before turning to a single agenda item: the Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) salary schedule.

Barbie Dickens, general counsel for the Finance Administration Cabinet, told the committee the cabinet’s role "is basically to administer their payroll," and said, "we stand ready to administer their payroll as soon as we have language that supports that." Dale Clemons, the cabinet’s human resources director, also testified and answered members’ questions about how the schedule has been updated historically.

Representative Lockett read figures from the statutory schedule and recent budget bills, saying a Group 1, Step 1 PVA salary listed in statute had previously been $45,387 and that subsequent budget language raised the listed figure to $81,460. Lockett asked whether the apparent near-doubling was accurate and how interim adjustments for cost-of-living or increments had been handled.

Clemons and Dickens said the cabinet did not have older printed schedules at the table but recalled using a schedule last updated in 2020 and noted an annual CPI figure of 2.285% from that period. Dickens explained that the PVA salary schedule is codified in statute (the committee record cites the relevant KRS section) and is not a regulation, which affects whether the cabinet can change it by administrative action.

Representative Jackson asked whether current or draft budget language would permit the cabinet to apply the same increments given to other state employees rather than tying adjustments to the annual CPI; counsel replied that the draft language under discussion would apply the increment given to other state employees to the PVA schedule.

Committee members noted they had received copies of draft budget language and that the Kentucky Association of PBAs may have provided more recent draft text. Chair Thomas said HB 500, introduced the night before, may contain language that addresses the issue; copies were made available and the chair adjourned the brief meeting.

The committee took no formal action on changing the PVA salary schedule during the meeting other than approving past meeting minutes. Staff repeated that implementation and any administrative payroll actions would await clear statutory or budget language.