County workshops tackle property, salaries
Tuesday, April 11, Grimes County commissioners held its second workshop to review 27 county-owned andseven Grimes County Historical Commission properties. No decision was reached regarding the three most discussed buildings – the former county clerk’s building on Main Street, the vacant Anderson annex on W. Buffington Avenue and the old maintenance building on Main Street.
The old county clerk’s office is the site of the original First Bank of Anderson and the object of a tug-of-war between the Grimes County Historical Commission and the Elections Department following the hire of Elections Administrator Rachel Walker.
Walker cites the desire to have elections equipment in one location and easily accessible to her office in the historic courthouse across the street. In contrast, the GCHC has operated under the impression since the construction of the Justice Center began in 2020 they would be given the building.
Commissioner Barbara Walker queried GCHC Chairman Mary Ann Waters about the number and kind of artifacts GCHC wants to preserve and Waters responded they can’t do an inventory because they aren’t allowed access to the building where artifacts are presently stored.
Maintenance Manager Rodney Floyd has identified numerous necessary repairs and advised the cost to make it ADA compliant as a county historical museum is about $250,000. GCHC members countered in previous testimony that if they occupy the building, they will be eligible for grants to cover upgrades but their immediate need is to be able to review and catalog their inventory.
According to Floyd, both the Annex and old maintenance building need repairs, with the latter unsuitable to house election equipment.
Road and Bridge Engineer Harry Walker advised the court that his department prefers to stay where they are in the old district attorney’s office rather than move to the proposed new suite of office buildings behind the Justice Center and will relinquish that space.
Regarding county property in Navasota, the county is contemplating selling significant acreage behind the Navasota Annex on Veterans Memorial and commissioners leaned toward demolition of the annex pavilion. Floyd was asked to get a bid for demolition of the vacant former morgue at CHI St. Joseph Grimes Hospital, possiblymaking space for additional parking and there was discussion about moving AgriLife staff to the Grimes County fairgrounds.
Compensation study
Wednesday, April 12, in another workshop, Katie Busch of HR Compensation Consultants (HRCC) presented the initial results of their Grimes County salary review. County Judge Joe Fauth reminded all that hiring an outside company was a budgeted item, prompted by “competition from outside employers” and concerns if pay and benefits are in line with the marketplace.
According to Busch, in March HRCC completed the initial phase based on department and employee questionnaires, job descriptions and market research. She advised that HRCC will collect pay data from private companies in Bryan, College Station, Huntsville, Waller, Navasota and Todd Mission and from neighboringgovernment entities in Brazos, Waller, Washington and Madison counties.
Busch said “ideally” they will be able to match 70% of county positions with like positions in other organizations. She added that elected officials will be not included in the analysis as their compensation is set by the Texas Association of Counties (TAC). Study results and a recommended pay framework will be available to commissioners in June or July, in time for the 2023-2024 budget process.
Busch said, “The purpose of the study is not to give employees raises. The purpose of the study is to evaluate competitive pay. Now that may mean that some individuals pay needs to change in order to be more competitive,but the purpose of the study is to create a structure that also gives managers good guidance in making pay decisions.”
Meetings may be viewed in their entirety at https://grimescountytx.granicus.com.