Jefferson County officials do not intend to freeze bonuses this year, despite acknowledging that their compensation system is broken and bonuses are handed out at the discretion of elected officials rather than in accordance with written guidelines.
Bonuses have ballooned 760 percent in the past four years, with $280,843 doled out last year. The county’s top managers took home the biggest bonuses and the biggest percentage increase in raises.
County officials are waiting for results from a compensation study expected by the end of the summer — and likely implemented in 2010 — to fix the way the county hands out bonuses. And at that time, the county plans to increase the number of people who receive bonuses.
“There is no movement afoot to freeze bonuses, though we will review the processes,” said Kathryn Heider, spokeswoman for county administrator Jim Moore. “Jefferson County expects more, not less, bonuses or lump-sum payments to be given in the future as we refine our system for awarding them.”
Heider said that unlike raises, bonuses don’t boost an employee’s base salary and therefore the county’s future liability stays low. She also said that last year, 7 percent of county employees received bonuses and that the total amount paid was less than 1 percent of total gross wages.
The three Jefferson County commissioners, also through Heider, said bonuses will be “one of many topics that will be discussed by the Personnel Board . . . upon completion of our comprehensive compensation study.”
The commissioners also said they will not interfere with bonuses for Head Start employees, which must be paid from federal stimulus money.
Karen E. Crummy: 303-954-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com
