Warren County is set to increase the starting pay of some positions within the county’s road department to be more competitive and help retain employees.

During Monday’s work session, Road Manager Jamie Cain presented a salary schedule that will increase the starting pay for general maintenance laborers, equipment operators, mechanics and foremen, areas where the county has struggled recently in both filling positions and keeping employees.

The increase in these positions is already included in the county’s upcoming fiscal budget. But the proposed salary schedule will need to be adopted by supervisors during their meeting Monday.

For general laborers, the county will increase the starting pay from $8 per hour to $9 per hour. The starting pay for equipment operators would move from $12 per hour to $14 per hour, while mechanics would move from a starting pay of $13 per hour to $15 per hour.

In the case of the position of foreman, the starting salary would move from $14 per hour to $15.50 per hour.

For the laborer, mechanics and foreman positions, the starting salary increase would be the first increase since 2007.  An increase for equipment operators would be the first increase since 2017.

And the increase is not just for those who are yet to be hired by the county. Current employees in those positions, who are making below the new starting salary amounts, will see their salaries increased to the new amounts.