Board approves payroll assistant and reclassification as wage study changes take effect

The Richland County Board adopted two related staffing resolutions as part of implementing a recently completed wage study: Resolution 25-3 creating a payroll and benefits assistant position and Resolution 25-4 reclassifying the current payroll and benefits specialist to payroll and benefits administrator.

County administrator Candace reported the wage study is in its final stage and that all employees were placed on a new wage scale; increases were effective with the first payroll of 2025. She said the study involved a roughly $890,000 allocation that enabled market-adjusted raises for full- and part-time employees.

Staff explained operational risk: one employee (identified in meeting remarks as Tammy) currently processes the county payroll end-to-end, handling multiple pay cycles and benefits billing for about 495 employees. Tammy (speaker 7) described the county’s mix of payroll cycles—courthouse, health and human services, sheriff assignments and others—and the complex manual steps that remain while the county implements a new Tyler payroll system, which requires running dual payrolls during transition.

Board discussion focused on whether creating a new position reduces overtime costs in practice and on how the position would be funded. Staff said the new payroll assistant can be covered within budgeted funds by reallocating monies originally budgeted for a different, unfilled position (a full-time corporation counsel allocation) and by savings from overtime. Some supervisors pressed for clearer budget cover sheets that show the precise net cost; one supervisor challenged the phrasing in the resolution that emphasized an overtime savings of $11,000, arguing the net fiscal impact may be an added cost once benefits and total compensation are counted.

Both resolutions were adopted by voice vote. Staff said the positions and cross-training are intended to ensure continuity of operations and to reduce the risk that a single departure would leave the county unable to process payrolls.