Shoshone County back on track with wage study

WALLACE – After numerous setbacks, Shoshone County is one step closer to completing a long-awaited wage study. 

Last week, the Shoshone County Commissioners approved a bid from Best Day HR to complete the study, which will include wages and benefits for all of the county’s employees.  

Shoshone County Grants Administrator Colleen Rosson spearheaded the efforts to tie down a firm to complete the analysis, but after sending out seven requests for proposals, only two were received.  

Best Day HR’s proposal, although more expensive than their competitor’s, offered a more thorough plan, which appealed to the commissioners, department heads, and other elected officials.  

This is the second time in a little over a year that Shoshone County has approved a wage study proposal; in September of last year, former commissioner Tracy Casady was informed that third party administration firm AmeriBen wouldn’t have Shoshone County’s wage study completed by their September 30 deadline and that they were doing away with the human resources consulting sector of their business entirely. 

When presenting the new proposals, Rosson told the board that both companies that had submitted proposals were highly rated, but ultimately it would be up to the board to determine which company they felt would do a better job. 

Discussions over a wage study have been active for years, but one was finally initiated due to concerns over inconsistent pay scales across county departments. It aims to evaluate factors like base wages, job responsibilities, skills, working conditions, benefits, and employee tenure. The commissioners hope the study will align county compensation with similar counties statewide. Previously, departments could create their own pay scales with board approval, but only some, like the roads department and sheriff’s office, completed the process — leading to further pay disparities among departments. 

Commissioner Chairman Jeff Zimmerman was specifically concerned about the inclusion of the county employees' benefits packages. 

“Our benefits in this county are better than most other counties,” Zimmerman said. “That really needs to be spelled out.”  

The study will look at the wages of similar-sized counties and municipalities, while also comparing the markets of those regions.  

Best Day HR’s bid of $20,000 is cheaper than what the board had previously approved for AmeriBen and is being funded by ARPA dollars. However, the $20,000 is higher than the other bid that was received by the county. 

“It may not be the lowest bid, but it’s the best value for what we’re looking for,” Zimmerman said.