Date: May 12, 2006 To: County Commissioners From: Barbara Nemec, County Treasurer's The question has been raised as to whose responsibility it is to prepare the Step/Grade Schedule. I was under the impression the previous Commissioner's Court Administrator prepared this Schedule along with the position Schedule up until the time she retired. However, after researching the matter I found that she only prepared the Schedule up until the year 2000. My office did, indeed, prepare the Schedule for the following two years. It is my understanding that the errors being questioned today did not occur during the two years my office handled the Schedules. At this point, the court approved adding additional amounts to each step/grade for the sheriffs department. I tried to explain to the court the Schedule would not be accurate in the manner they were proposing. It was at this time that the assistant auditor volunteered to take over this function. I was not opposed to this idea since, (1) I did not agree the manner that was being proposed would keep the 2.5% increments uniformity that is set in the Schedule, and (2) it was not a duty outlined in the order no. 21189 appointing me County Personnel Officer. From that point forward, the following is the manner in which these Schedules were being handled: 1.) Assistant County Auditor updates and prepares the Step/Grade Schedule; 2.) Assistant County Auditor gives Treasurer Step/Grade Schedule; 3.) County Treasurer updates the Position Schedule by applying the amounts from the updated Step/Grade Schedule to each employee; and 4.) During the budget process both Schedules are adopted by Comm. Court. During the budget process it is typical to receive several calls from various departments asking for payroll figures reflecting the anticipated cost of living, merit and/or longevity. At this early stage of the budget process the Step/Grade Schedule is not yet available to reflect the updated information. Therefore, I take the current Schedule that is in place and look up the S/G that each employee is being paid and that amount is then multiplied by the percentage of the anticipated COLA and then an additional 2.5% is added to that figure for each grade being proposed. The 2.5% represents the standard increments between grades. In November 1992 Court Order No. 21189 was approved. This court order outlines my duties as County Personnel Officer (court order attached), and the duties of preparing the Step/Grade Schedule are not one of them. The duties outlined in this order read as follows - "Personnel Officer shall be required to and shall have the responsibility of keeping and maintaining such personnel files of each county employee, as required by the Court or the personnel rules, assisting in the administration of the Kerr County Personnel Polices, preparing reports and documentation required by state and federal agencies regarding personnel matters, maintaining time records, monitoring accumulations of vacation, sick leave, and overtime, administering the benefits programs, and working with the County Auditor in matters of accounting and compensation. The County Personnel officer shall assist Elected Officials, Department Heads, and Supervisors in personnel matters and shall make such reports to Commissioners' Court as may be requested by the Court." DRDER N~_~. 11a5 RF'POINTMEN7 OF bRRBARR NEMEC Aa COUNTY F'F_Rci01`JNEL OFFICE P. On this the card da•y of hlovember 199c, come on to be considered by the Coy-irt tt-.e designation of the Co~.inty Personnel Officer. Said Persr..nnel Officer shall be req~.iired to and shall t-iave the re=.ponsibility of 4