Public works pay crisis prompts Waynesville study
Turnover has been staggering in the town’s public works department.
File photo
The steady loss of workers who keep Waynesville’s water running and streets clean has town leaders on edge.
At the Oct. 28 meeting, council heard grim numbers and took action, voting to fund a pay study meant to stop an exodus that’s led to tremendous turnover and left nine out of about 80 positions vacant.
Human Resources Director Page McCurry said the town’s utility and maintenance departments have struggled for months to hold on to qualified employees.
“I’m here tonight to request your approval for a critical project regarding our personnel needs,” McCurry said. “We’re seeking approval of a proposal for HR consulting services with Lisa Delaine Honeycutt for a compensation study focused on key positions within our public works department, specifically the water treatment, water distribution, sewer treatment, sewer collections and electric divisions.”
She said the study was necessary because the town can’t compete with surrounding communities on wages.
“The purpose of this study is very straightforward and urgent,” she said. “We need to ensure that the salaries and pay ranges for these vital positions are competitive with the external labor market. The need is critical, because the public works department has experienced a turnover rate of 39.76% in the current calendar year as of October 17.”
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McCurry said several employees who left town jobs cited pay as their reason for leaving, including treatment plant operators, utility maintenance workers, equipment operators and electric groundsmen. According to McCurry, the consultant’s proposal calls for 80 hours of work over an 11-week period at a cost of $10,000, split among the water, sewer and electric enterprise funds.
Council members were startled by the numbers.
“A turnover rate of 39.76%?” council member Jon Feichter said, before asking how many employees that represented. McCurry replied with specifics.
“I want to say, and I haven’t checked the number this week, but I believe it’s between 35 and 37 [of 83 positions],” she said.
She noted that a handful of departures were due to retirement or personal circumstances. Some were “unhappy with the organization,” McCurry said, but most departures were because of pay.
Feichter said the figures spoke for themselves.
“I’ve sat in those public works department meetings, and every time I do that, I come away impressed by our people,” Feichter said. “I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to me, the fact that we have lost 30-something people out of 80 good people. If this is what we’ve got to do, then let’s do it.”
He pushed for urgency based on the critical role public works employees fill, saying that if a meteor hit council chambers, it wouldn’t really impact town operations, but if the same thing happened at the public works building, basic services would dry up quickly.
Feichter said the turnover problem is especially frustrating because the town had already completed a compensation review several years ago.
“Here, just a couple of years later, we find ourselves having to do another one focused specifically on public works,” he said, asking if the town should consider another study for all other departments.
McCurry explained that this new study would act as a short-term step toward a broader, town-wide review.
“Rob [Hites, Waynesville’s town manager] and I have already met with the [Cary-based Management and Personnel Services] group,” she said. “Our goal is to bring a proposal to you all next for an organization-wide compensation study. The results of this particular [water/sewer study] will be integrated into the holistic one.”
Council member Anthony Sutton said it had been longer than many realized since the last full review.
“We did a study six years ago,” Sutton said. “It was one of the first things that I proposed, and I think the standard is, you do it every five to 10 years.”
Mayor Gary Caldwell noted that Haywood Community College had recently started a line technician program and suggested that Waynesville could take advantage of it by supporting employees who wanted to continue their education. Caldwell floated the idea of creating a small grant or tuition assistance program for current public works employees — particularly those in the electric department, where hiring and retention are most difficult due to the specialized, high-skill nature of the work.
