Carbon County is taking a look at its employee salary scales.

On Thursday, the board of commissioners approved a contract with Evergreen Solutions LLC of Tallahassee, Florida to conduct a classification and compensation study of all current positions in the county. Carbon County currently has over 300 employees.

The cost of the study shall not exceed $48,000 and is inclusive of all travel costs, meals, lodging, fringe benefits, overhead, clerical support and all out-of-pocket expenses.

“Over the years, when we have salary board meetings, a lot of positions have been created,” Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said. “We have so many scales.”

The current employee compensation document includes about 16 levels for salaries for non-supervisory positions and about 21 levels for supervisory.

“We don’t need all those scales,” he said. “It always made our job as a salary board hard in my opinion.”

The goal of the survey is to look at all positions and job descriptions and determine a proper compensation scale across all departments for the same type of positions, while also evaluating and building a comprehensive future plan for salary compensations looking into the future.

Nothstein said this survey would help determine if employees are in the correct salary range compared to their job description and what they do in that position.

Commissioner Rocky Ahner supported the motion because he said the current system in place is confusing due to all the changes over the years.

The last study regarding employee salary rates was adopted in the 1990s and Treasurer Ron Sheehan said that since then, “the system has been cannibalized” because positions evolved and more and more titles were created.

The county expects the survey to begin around Sept. 1 and be completed by the end of the year, in time for the 2022 annual salary board meeting, where the board approves raises, if one is given, to all employees.

Carbon County first discussed moving on a survey looking at employment classifications earlier this year after a suggestion at the annual salary board by President Judge Roger Nanovic.

“There have been disparities that have grown and gotten worse,” he said in January, adding that he thinks a new study would benefit everyone moving forward.