Council approves amended salary ordinance, agrees to address 27-pay year and overtime confusion

The Washington County Council voted on Feb. 2 to amend the county salary ordinance to address complications posed by a 27-pay year and confusion over salary classifications.

Katelyn Shaffer of Reedy Financial Group told the council there are two common methods to handle a 27-pay year: the redivisor method, which preserves annual pay but changes overtime calculations, and the status-quo method, which effectively adds an extra payroll. Shaffer said a bi-monthly pay schedule would eliminate the 27-pay issue. Sheriff Miller urged the council to "use the status quo method and just have one extra pay," and said his department returned more than $150,000 in unused funds to the general fund.

Councilmember Preston Shell moved that the first payroll of 2026 be paid at 2026 rates; the motion passed. Shell also moved to convert one full-time 911 dispatcher to two part-time positions; that motion passed. Council discussion produced a consensus to convert salary non-exempt employees to hourly positions when feasible to reduce confusion over overtime eligibility.

Auditor Kyra Stephenson and councilmembers asked that the county retain professional support to ensure payroll is calculated correctly going forward; discussions included outsourcing payroll as a potential option. The council also passed the amended salary ordinance after clarifying specific wording to reflect the changes.

The changes are intended to reduce employee confusion and limit unintended overtime changes during years with an extra pay period; the council did not set an immediate staffing or long-term payroll vendor decision during the session.