Salary Ordinance

A person working less than full-time in a position in a classification for which the compensation is designated by a schedule of steps, shall advance in the same manner as provided in Section 4-1 above, provided that an equivalent number of working days or hours shall be worked to qualify for advancement within the schedule of steps.

Where the schedule of steps shown for a classification begins at step 2, 3, or 4 the rate of compensation in case of an original appointment shall be at the rate designated under the second, third, or fourth step, respectively, after which further increments shall be received as set forth in Section 4-1 above. All new hires, including rehires are eligible to receive any step in the salary range for said classification provided the request of the Department Head therefore is in accordance with the established criteria and has been authorized by the Director of Human Resource Services. (BOS approved amendment 9/15/09)

For purposes of this section, an appointment to a regular County job classification of a person employed in a position which is in a “TAP” Program job classification or in Job Code 0601, shall be deemed to be an initial appointment.

Anything in this Ordinance to the contrary notwithstanding, each person occupying the position during the period for which this Ordinance is effective that he/she occupied during the previous fiscal year, shall be entitled to compensation for his/her services which is not less than the amount he/she was authorized to receive during the previous fiscal year. Furthermore, each person occupying a position during the period for which this Ordinance is effective that he/she occupied during the previous fiscal year, the compensation for which position at the fifth step in this Ordinance is below the previous schedule of rates shall continue to receive that compensation in accordance with that schedule so long as the fifth step of this Ordinance schedule remains lower.

If any person changes his/her position to a classification with the same salary rates, such person shall receive a step rate in the new position that will not result in his/her receiving less than the amount which was received by him/her in such preceding position, and he/she shall be entitled to receive thereafter increases and compensation as provided in Section 4-1.

In the event of a transfer by a person from one position to another, or the appointment of a person to another position of lower grade, or of the appointment of a person holding a position in the unclassified civil service to another position of no higher compensation, such person shall be entitled to credit in the new position for the period of service in the former position and shall be entitled to receive such further step increases and compensation as are provided for in Section 4-1.

Effective November 26, 2023, when an employee is promoted to a higher salary-level classification, that employee shall be entitled to the next step in the compensation schedule of the higher-level classification, which is at least five percent (5%) above the salary rate the employee has been receiving, except that the next step shall not exceed the salary range of the higher-level classification. (BOS approved 10/24/23) 

For the purpose of this Article:

1. Absence on authorized leave with pay and absence on military leave shall not be considered an interruption of occupying a position.
2. Any absence within the first two biweekly pay periods of service which would have been compensated for had it not fallen within such period, shall not be considered an interruption of occupying a position.
3. Occupying another position in the County service shall not be considered as an interruption of occupying the previous position while on authorized leave therefrom.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 4-1, no additional amount herein above provided shall become due or payable solely because of length of service. A Department Head may elect not to grant increments by filing a written statement with the Board of Supervisors stating his/her reasons therefor specifically and in detail no later than 15 days after the date on which such increase would otherwise become effective.

A Department Head may restore a withheld increment by filing a recommendation therefor with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, setting forth the specific reasons for such recommendation. Such increase shall become effective on the first day of the biweekly pay period specified in the recommendation of the Department Head, and the effective date of subsequent increases shall be calculated from the date when the previous increase would otherwise have become effective.

Biweekly pay periods of employment shall be the basis for determining length of service. If an employee is compensated on a per hour or per diem basis or for a fraction of a biweekly pay period, such periods of service shall be totaled and converted to full biweekly pay periods to determine the appropriate rate of compensation.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Ordinance, when the classification, reclassification, allocation, or reallocation of a position becomes effective, a person occupying such position shall receive compensation as follows:

1. If the rate or schedule of steps of the new classification is higher at the maximum than his/her former classification, a person shall receive compensation specified in Section 4-7.
2. If the rate or schedule of steps of the new classification is lower at the maximum than the former classification, a person shall continue to receive the same compensation received in the former classification on the effective date of such action, and in addition, shall receive such further step increases which apply to the new classification, and shall retain his/her anniversary date, provided however, that if the rate or schedule of rates for the new classification is lower at the maximum and is a “deep class,” that is a classification with a first and fifth step only, the provisions of Article 3 for that job classification shall apply.

Every regularly appointed employee who has resigned and who is reinstated in accordance with rules of Civil Service Commission shall for purposes of this Ordinance, be deemed to have been on leave of absence without pay during the period preceding such reinstatement.

Any person occupying a full-time position in a job class to which a biweekly salary is affixed, who is scheduled to work less than full-time, or who is on leave without pay or absent without pay from such position during any biweekly pay period, shall be paid the pro rata portion of the biweekly salary that the number of hours or days worked by such person bears to the total working hours or days for that job class in such biweekly pay period.

A “step” is an increment approximating 5 percent on the schedules of biweekly compensation set forth in this Ordinance, unless a person is at the top salary set forth for his/her classification in which case a “step” is 5 percent above that salary.