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Increase in pay for government workers recommended Wednesday, May 7, 2008 By Jason Wiest Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - To lower the turnover of entry-level government workers, the state should revamp pay scales by $46.7 million, the head of Arkansas' personnel office told legislators Tuesday. "Our pay plan has not been addressed since 1991 and what we've had is just years of piecemeal fixing it and addressing overall HR needs," state personnel administrator Kay Barnhill Terry said after a meeting of the personnel subcommittee of the Legislative Council. Terry said she would ask the Legislature next year for $20.6 million from general revenue to enact the recommended changes. The other $26.1 million would come from cash fund agencies and federal positions, she said. "We're not real competitive with some of our lower-level positions at all," Terry said. Under the current pay scale, which has 26 grades, the beginning salary for entry level employees is $13,243. The plan Terry recommended would have 30 pay grades with the lowest starting at $15,080. The proposal was developed as the result of a 2007 law requiring the Office of Personnel Management to submit recommendations on employees' salaries to legislators prior to budget hearings this fall. The current cap on pay of $83,708 would be increased to $96,212. A second pay grade would be created for high-level professional and executive positions for which salaries are set by the Legislature, Terry said. Gov. Mike Beebe, who formerly served as chairman of the Senate Personnel Committee, is supportive of compensation changes to curb the turnover rate and ensure that entry-level employees can support themselves and stay in state government, Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said. |
