Lawrence County Salary Board approves temporary training post, multiple pay adjustments and solicitor base-rate updates

The Lawrence County Salary Board on April 6 approved a package of personnel and pay-rate changes affecting the courts and several county row offices.

President Judge Jay Cox asked the board to create a temporary judicial executive secretary trainee position so his new hire could overlap with a longtime secretary’s departure. "May 1st, she is that will be her last day in the building," Jay Cox said, explaining the court wanted two weeks of on‑the‑job training. The board approved the temporary position at a base rate of $40,000 and the resolution states the position will be eliminated once vacated.

The board also approved a $3,800 retroactive increase (effective Jan. 1, 2026) for the domestic relations office’s locate officer; Judge Cox said the position is funded from the domestic relations incentive fund and not from the county general fund. The salary board set a new base rate of $62,500 for a deputy director in the adult probation office (with language indicating the base would be set at $60,000 after the position is filled) and established a base rate of $55,000 for the office’s IP coordinator, described in discussion as the staff role that manages house‑arrest/electronic monitoring programs.

Coroner R.J. Johnson asked the board to create three PDM (per‑diem) positions at $175 per day, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026, and to convert the prior arrangement for some on‑call workers from contractor (1099) status to employee status for unscheduled shifts. "So now this will be employee instead of contractor," Coroner Johnson said during the discussion. The board approved the coroner changes and later set the coroner solicitor base rate at $6,000, also retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026.

Several other elected offices had solicitor base rates standardized at $6,000 by the board: the prothonotary/clerk of courts and Orphans’ Court solicitor, the register and recorder solicitor, the sheriff’s solicitor, the treasurer’s solicitor and the controller’s solicitor. In the register and recorder’s office, Register Tammy Crawford asked the board to temporarily set the chief deputy recorder base at $48,814.67 while a staffing transition is completed; the resolution states the base will revert to $45,000 after the position is filled. Those actions were presented as part of a countywide effort to update older salary resolutions and ensure consistency across offices.

All items on the agenda that required a roll call were approved unanimously by the five voting board members present: President Judge Jay Cox, Controller Vanessa Prestoine, Commissioner Sado, Commissioner Kennedy and Commissioner Bogler.

Votes at a glance
- Resolution 13: Create judicial executive secretary trainee, base rate $40,000 — Approved (5–0).
- Resolution 14: Increase locate officer salary by $3,800, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026 — Approved (5–0).
- Resolution 15: Establish deputy director, adult probation base rate $62,500 (then $60,000 once filled) — Approved (5–0).
- Resolution 16: Establish IP coordinator base rate $55,000 — Approved (5–0).
- Resolution 17: Create three coroner PDM positions at $175/day, retro to Jan. 1, 2026; convert certain contractors to employees — Approved (5–0).
- Resolution 18: Coroner solicitor base rate $6,000, retro to Jan. 1, 2026 — Approved (5–0).
- Resolution 19: Prothonotary/clerk/Orphans’ Court solicitor base rate $6,000, retro to Jan. 1, 2026 — Approved (5–0).
- Resolution 20: Temporary chief deputy recorder base $48,814.67 (reverts to $45,000 once filled) — Approved (5–0).
- Resolution 21: Register and recorder solicitor base rate $6,000 — Approved (5–0).
- Resolution 22: Sheriff solicitor base rate $6,000, retro to Jan. 1, 2026 — Approved (5–0).
- Resolution 23: Treasurer solicitor base rate $6,000 — Approved (5–0).
- Resolution 24: Controller solicitor base rate $6,000 — Approved (5–0).

Why it matters
The actions tidy a patchwork of older pay resolutions and address short‑term staffing needs in the courts and row offices. Several pay changes are retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026, which could affect payroll accounting and departmental budgets. The coroner’s move to convert some per‑diem contractors to employee status changes the payroll classification for those workers, with implications for benefits and county accounting.

What’s next
The meeting closed with no new business and no public comments; the board adjourned after the roll calls. Departments implementing approved changes will proceed according to the effective dates and the language in each resolution.