The Kootenai County commissioners will soon hire a consulting firm to survey how county employees' salaries compare to those at similar agencies and companies, the officials said on Wednesday.

The survey is the expected step after a Public Review Committee's recent classification of county job descriptions, said Commissioner Dan Green.

But the aim is also to gauge if county employees are being compensated fairly, he said.

"Some elected officials are worried our pay is too low, and that impacts their ability to attract and retain employees," Green said after a meeting about the survey in the commissioners' boardroom.

The commissioners are currently weighing proposals from three human resources consulting firms to conduct the survey.

The chosen firm will analyze the compensation of 47 "benchmark" county employees, Green said, who represent a wide range of jobs and compensations.

"The benchmarks cover a lot of employees," he said.

The salaries of those positions will be compared to what similar positions receive at 44 other entities, said Commissioner Todd Tondee.

If the results reveal a stark contrast with competitors, he said, salary adjustments could be in store.

"It's to ensure we're competitive with the market, that we're not over and not under," Tondee said.

The salaries of county positions will be weighed against compensation at public and private entities, Tondee noted. For instance, county employees who do title work could be compared to positions at auto dealerships.

"What we'll ask (the firm) to do is take our job description and match it with a like job description they know of," Tondee said.

While the county has more than 700 employees, there are only 294 different job positions. Under the county's general pay plan, which doesn't include employees on a salary matrix, the lowest starting salary for the bottom pay grade is $16,636. The highest pay grade's maximum salary is $131,028.

The benchmark positions to be analyzed in the survey include a patrol deputy, a records clerk, a building inspector, a lieutenant, a caseworker and a deputy prosecuting attorney.

The commissioners are gathering more information on the three potential firms before greenlighting the survey. Boise firm BDPA, Inc. is offering to conduct the survey for $16,320; California-based Hay Group for $55,000; and Seattle-based Jacobson Betts and Company for $9,750.

County Assessor Mike McDowell lauded the idea of the survey on Wednesday.

His department has regularly struggled with attracting and retaining qualified workers, he said.

"In the past 10 years, we've replaced 55 employees," McDowell said, adding that his department has 60 positions.

While some retired, many were seeking higher pay elsewhere, he said.

"We lose quite a few to Spokane County, frankly," McDowell said. "It's better compensation and not too far to drive."

Replacing employees, especially appraisers, can be expensive, he said. New employees have to be trained and certified, he explained, and some have left soon after completing their training.

"One of the things to help that is to maintain a manner of compensation and pay that is competitive with the market," McDowell said. "We'll never be a top-end employer, but at the same time, we don't want to be at the tail-end."