COEUR d’ALENE — Kootenai County commissioners will assess pay grades for county employees rather than calculate a cost of living adjustment for employees as part of the fiscal year 2024 budget.

“I want to focus on steps this year,” Commissioner Leslie Duncan said during Tuesday’s regular business meeting. “I want to see if not only can we fund all matrix at least one step, but get some of the people who are not on the correct step to the right place.”

Included in the county’s fiscal year 2023 budget was an approximate 6% cost of living adjustment wage increase for all county employees. Wage study and cost of living increases totaled around $8.1 million.

Bill Brooks said his vote in favor of the wage increase was one of the most important he’s cast during his time as a commissioner. He advocated for another cost of living adjustment this year, perhaps as high as 8%, and called for the county to crunch the numbers.

“Inflation is eating people alive,” he said. “The things we all rely on, they’re going through the roof.”

If wages don’t keep up with inflation, Brooks said, the county will find it increasingly difficult to attract employees, particularly in law enforcement positions.

“I don’t want to balance our budget on the backs of our employees,” Brooks said. “The taxpayers have had enough, but they understand inflation.”

Commissioner Bruce Mattare said he also wanted to focus on pay steps, which he indicated are a more consistent way for employees to know what they will be paid.

“They seem to have been abused a little bit, just with what gets frozen this year, and eventually, as time goes by, it looks unrecognizable as far as what employees can expect in the coming years,” he said.

Mattare said there have been discussions about pay grade changes occurring on an annual or employment anniversary basis, while cost of living adjustments occur periodically, with an eye toward making sure pay is commiserate with jobs in the current marketplace.

Duncan and Mattare directed the county finance director to assess pay grades.

In the future, commissioners may also request that a cost of living adjustment be calculated.