County Commission takes a look at new pay scales, banning tobacco use among employees

April 30--A review of salaries paid to employees of Monroe County, and updates to the county's employee insurance plan, await county commissioners at a special meeting Thursday in Key West.

The only other items for the 1 p.m. meeting at the Harvey Government Center on Truman Avenue are final approval of a new contact for the Florida Keys Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and a bridge-maintenance contract.

Applicants for county jobs could be rejected if they smoke or otherwise use tobacco, according to a staff recommendation. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office stopped hiring known nicotine users in March 2011, says a background report.

"On average, an employer spends $753 per year or more in medical costs for a smoker than a non-smoker," a summary says. Smokers also miss more workdays.

A 1995 Florida Supreme Court ruling establishes that governments can refuse to hire tobacco users. Ongoing testing of employees once hired remains unsettled.

An employee could be charged higher insurance rates if insured dependents use tobacco.

A long-awaited salary study says, "On average, at the minimum of the public-sector salary ranges, the county is 10.8 percent below market across all matched classifications."

Bringing affected employees in various job classes to the market minimum would add a total of $85,526 to the overall payroll immediately. Stepped increases would raise the amount to $284,639.

"Employees expressed a strong desire to receive increases to their pay relative to their cost of living," says the Evergreen Solutions report. "Many mentioned this as one of the primary factors causing higher turnover rates for lower level pay grades and dissatisfaction with their current salaries."

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