Compensation study to improve salary structure for Madison County employees

JACKSON, Tenn. — Earlier Tuesday, several county officials convened for a personnel committee meeting.

The Personnel Committee meeting addressed several agenda items. The big item addressed was the compensation study recommendation. This study will determine the market value of each county employee and propose an equitable salary structure.

The county plans to undertake this study. And the committee recommends hiring a third-party to conduct it.

“One of the things that a third party will bring is objectivity. Having it done in-house, there are a lot of competing interests, and so just removing that and leveling the playing field will benefit our employees the most,” said Terica Smith, deputy mayor and director of human resources for Madison County.

This study will help the county retain and attract new employees. It analyzes their current salary structure and offers a more competitive and fair structure that aligns with industry standards. Smith tells us more about their process choosing a firm to conduct this study.

“Yes so, we put out an RFP, request for proposals, and we received about ten responses. We narrowed it down to three, and we will be picking one,” said Smith.

There were some concerns regarding fair pay and budgets across departments and matching compensation to actual role responsibilities. Smith assures us that hiring an outside party is the best move.

“An outside third party will bring objectiveness to the process. They are professionals and this is what they do on a very regular basis, so they will have the experience necessary to give us a full package to let us know what the compensation should be,” said Smith.

The next step is to take this recommendation to the county commission for approval.

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