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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Blair County's proposed salary study that was to get started this year is on hold.
Even though the county advertised late last year for proposals, it received no responses.
Human Resources Director Katherine Swigart told the county salary board Thursday that she spoke a couple of weeks ago with John Felice of Felice Associates, a Greensburg-based company that completed a salary study last year in Erie County. But she said she hasn't heard anything further and wants to make additional inquiries.
The county's original schedule called for proposals to be submitted by Nov. 30 for review and evaluation through January, putting commissioners in a position to award a contract by Jan. 30.
Commissioners Chairman Bruce Erb, who also chairs the salary board, suggested that timing of the county's request may have been a factor in the lack of response.
Commissioner Ted Beam Jr. said he is familiar with Felice Associates because of that company's prior work in Altoona.
Felice Associates used to manage Westmoreland County's human resources department, Commissioner Terry Tomassetti said.
In its request for proposals, the county acknowledged that it hasn't conducted a comprehensive classification and compensation study in at least 20 years. The county has about 225 job titles for 453 full-time and 75 part-time employees.
Tasks to be performed during the study include:
— Analyzing all job positions and responsibilities.
— Analyzing nonunion compensation plans.
— Analyzing and recommending whether employees are appropriately classified based upon the Fair Labor Standards Act and state statues.
— Identify and determine the particular job duties and requirements, plus the relative importance of those duties for a given job.
— Compile data for occupations ranging from local to national markets for specific jobs or major occupational groups.
— Develop models and theories that accurately capture the functions and development of Blair County departments, plus models and theories to bring about changes within the organization.
— Review the county's organizational structures and division of responsibilities.
Commissioners, when arranging the 2017 bond issue, designated as much as $93,500 for the proposed salary study. No specific plans were identified on how to pay for any recommendations the study might offer.
In Erie County, the salary study recommendations by Felice Associates led to $780,000 in raises, averaging 3.8 percent, for 480 of the county's roughly 1,200 employees, based on data published by the Erie Times-News. The cost of the raises was expected to be partly offset in 2018 by a savings on the pharmaceutical portion of the county's health insurance plan.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 946-7456.