In an effort to stop employee poaching before it becomes a problem, Rowan County is soliciting pay study proposals from consulting firms.

The idea, first floated by County Manager Aaron Church, would gather data related to the county’s compensation in all departments and make recommendations about the future of pay for employees in Rowan County. Church said the last full compensation study occurred in 1998.

“The economy is starting to improve, and as it starts to improve it may be hard to retain employees in certain parts of the government,” Church said. “When times are good, you really have to stay on top of it to make sure the total compensation package is desirable. It’s about being proactive rather than reactive.”

County government sent out a request for proposals on Jan. 9, with a deadline of Jan. 26. Once the county receives proposals, Rowan County commissioners would have to approve proceeding with a plan. Market rates, salary ranges, position classifications and career development programs are among the various items listed in the request for proposals.

“It’s done in an equitable manner to where folks feel like everyone has been treated equally because we’ve looked at a study based on empirical data,” Church said.

Approving a compensation plan study wouldn’t be the only time in the last year commissioners have looked at the pay of employees.

In December, commissioners approved a stop-gap measure to help with an increased workload in Rowan County’s Department of Social Services. Training new employees after others lefts for higher-paying jobs in other counties was one of the causes for the increased workload, according to DSS Director Donna Fayko.

Earlier in 2014, Rowan County commissioners also  reinstated a career-development program for three county departments to help slow a trend of employees leaving for higher-paying jobs in other counties. At the time, the career development plan equaled nearly $70,000 in raises — calculated over one year for employees who already had met specific requirements. An overwhelming majority of the increase was designated for the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office. The county’s Environmental Health and and Information Systems departments also received a few thousand in annual raises.

Commissioner Craig Pierce said employees ultimately decide whether salaries and other parts of an overall compensation plan are desirable. In some cases, Pierce said, Rowan County simply can’t compete.

“You have to understand that we’re never going to be able to compete dollar-wise with Mecklenburg and Cabarrus,” Pierce said. “We’re never going to be able to compensate at the same rate. At the same time, if you live in Rowan County and have to commute, how much is it worth to not have to add two hours transportation time — the cost of a vehicle, gas and everything else.”

Businesses compete similarly, Church said, but certain job functions in county government may not directly translate to the private industry, such as environmental health inspectors.

Pierce echoed Church, saying losing employees for higher pay may be an issue always present in Rowan County at a certain rate.

“You have to stop and ask yourself how far do you take it,” Pierce said. “We’re going to lose people all the time. It’s no different than private industry.”

Church said that poaching by other counties hasn’t become an overwhelming problem for Rowan, but as North Carolina’s economy begins to rebound from the 2008 recession, he said, it could become an issue, specifically for police officers and sheriff’s deputies.

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246