At Weber County, we take pride in being your employer of choice. Our commitment to supporting the goals and challenges within Weber County begins with you - our employees. We know that our greatest strength lies in the people who serve Weber County, and we are dedicated to attracting, retaining, and developing top talent.
While Weber County remains a competitive employer, we also understand that today’s workplace is constantly evolving. In 2024, Weber County put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) in order to conduct a compensation study.
Based on the RFP results, Weber County partnered with Baker Tilly to launch a comprehensive five-step compensation study. This initiative is designed to ensure that we continue to recognize the exceptional work of our employees while staying aligned with current market standards. This website is designed to provide the results of the study. It's important to note that no employee will receive a pay decrease as a result of the study.
Thank you for your continued dedication to making Weber County a great place to work and serve.
Study Process
Project Initiation
Baker Tilly initiated the study by conducting a planning meeting with the County’s project team to discuss the current classification and compensation system, goals for conducting the study, and to walk through each phase of the process. Next, Baker Tilly collected documentation from the County, including job descriptions, organization charts, pay structure, personnel policies, Department Director Questionnaires (DDQs) and any other documentation describing how work is performed or compensated.
A copy of the questionnaire can be found here:
To ensure transparency and provide opportunities for engagement, Baker Tilly delivered several briefings on the compensation study. Virtual presentations were conducted to Department Heads and Elected Officials in October 2024 and January 2025. Additional virtual briefings were provided to the Sheriff’s Office Administration in June, Department Heads and Elected Officials in July, and the Dispatch Board in October.
A copy of the presentations can be found here.
Position/Classification Review
During the position/classification review step, Baker Tilly reviewed job titles and descriptions and conducted a job evaluation using a point factor tool called the Systematic Analysis and Factor Evaluation (SAFE) system. This tool establishes the hierarchy of jobs as well as evaluating each position based on 9 compensable factors. This is a measurement of the position, NOT the person in the position and focused on the minimum qualifications required to do the job.
The SAFE Compensable Factors & Weights used by Baker Tilley are as follows.
A Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Review was also conducted by Baker Tilly to review the exempt and non-exempt status as outlined by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Their review was based on existing documentation describing each position to ensure a complete picture of the work that is performed was taken into consideration.
A copy of the FLSA review can be found here.
Market Review
During the market assessment step, Baker Tilly worked with Weber County to identify 20 peer organizations to include in the study. They collaborated with Weber County leadership in each department to compile a comprehensive and relevant peer list, incorporating their input to ensure the selected organizations are relative to Weber County. These peer groups are organizations that look like Weber County and work like Weber County relative to size (revenue, population served, or number of employees), service offerings, geography, growth, etc. Additionally, 3 salary surveys were incorporated as a private sector comparison.
The following peer organizations were included in the study.
In total, 199 positions were included as benchmarks in the survey. Of those, 19 positions had insufficient data (less than 3 matches). Overall the study yielded market values for 90% of Weber County’s benchmark positions. On average, each position had 7.8 or more matches. The focus when comparing positions is based on a summary of work, minimum qualifications, supervisory responsibilities, education, and not necessarily the job title.
Some adjustments were made to collected data to account for differences in work week, fiscal year, and geographic labor cost but Baker Tilly does not weight the data. This means Bakery Tilly accounted for structural differences that could skew the results if left unaddressed. For example, if one peer works a 35-hour week and another works 40, or if their fiscal years are different, or they are in a higher or lower-cost labor market, they normalize that data so they are comparing apples to apples.
By saying Baker Tilly does not weight the data, it means they don’t treat one peer organization’s data as more important than another’s. Instead, they use a simple average across all valid data points. Each match counts the same. This avoids introducing bias toward larger or higher-paying peers. It also means no single organization can sway the results more than the others. This is essentially the “law of averages” approach, where they’re looking at the average market value for a position across all peers, rather than overemphasizing any one agency.
Below is the cost of labor differentials
Based on market values for the 199 benchmark positions:
On average, Weber County is:
- 3.8% above market at the minimum
- 5.6% above market at the midpoint
- 8.0% above market at the maximum
A copy of the complete market results can be found here:
Pay Plan Development
Upon reviewing the market survey results, Baker Tilley developed three new pay plans for the following groups of positions.
− General, 274 positions − Police Sworn, 14 positions − 911 Dispatch, 10 positions
Part time non-benefited and elected positions were not included in the study.
Employee Pay Plan Documents can be found at the links below:
Proposed Position Grade Assignments
Where the market results show that the County’s existing midpoints are about 5.6% above the market, on average, Baker Tilly did not recommend that the County shift its existing pay structure by 5.6% to maintain market alignment. Positions move at different rates in the market, and an overall shift would over-correct some and under-correct others. The better approach recommended by Baker Tilley was to reassess grade assignments for each position, individually.
So, in total, 274 positions were classified to a grade in the general pay plan, 14 sworn positions were classified to a grade in the Sheriff’s Office sworn pay plan, and 10 dispatch positions were classified to a grade in the Dispatch pay plan. Positions were classified with consideration to existing equity and external results. More specifically, internal equity (SAFE job evaluation scores) was used to initially assign positions to a grade in the pay plan. From there, grade assignments were adjusted, as necessary, to account for market midpoints, career progressions, supervisor-subordinate separation, and grade compression.
The following information was NOT considered when assigning positions to a grade:
- The person in the position
- Performance
- Length of service
- Employee existing salary
A copy of the position grade assignments can be found here.
Project Completion
Baker Tilley prepared a final report documenting the methodology used throughout the classification and compensation study, findings and results of the study, as well as their recommendations based on the results.
The final report can be found here.
Weber County Compensation and Classification Study Final report
Benefit Review
In addition to base pay, Baker Tilly’s market survey collected data on peer pay plans, pay policies and practices, health insurance, retirement, paid time off, and other supplemental benefits and pay differentials. The information collected was analyzed and put into a report, comparing Weber County’s benefits and pay practices to its peer organizations.
The full report can be found here.
Pay Plan Policy Recommendations
After grade assignments were finalized, implementation costs were calculated and reviewed with the County’s project team and County Commissioners. Baker Tilly also worked with the County to review pay policies and make recommendations for improvement, such that they reference the new pay plans and the County’s compensation philosophy for administration.
The pay policy recommendations can be found here
Implementation Timeline
Based on the study's findings, the county is implementing the necessary compensation adjustments on a phased timeline. These adjustments are designed to align with market benchmarks, internal equity, and job evaluations. Please note that not all roles will be impacted in the same way.
The study highlighted that our sworn positions are currently behind the broader market, and the market for sworn roles is growing at a rapid pace. Public safety remains a top priority for our community, and in response to the increasing competition for these positions, effective August 30, 2025, all sworn staff were moved to the new pay plan. Each employee received a letter that shows how these changes impacted them personally. They saw the changes reflected on their September 19, 2025, paycheck.
Effective December 20, 2025, the general staff and Dispatch will be moved to the new pay plan. Each employee will receive a letter once the final budget is approved that shows how these changes will impact them personally. They will see the changes reflected on their January 9, 2026, paycheck.
Sworn Staff Implementation Scenarios
Implementation Scenarios chosen for the Sheriff-Sworn Pay Plan:
Employees received the greater of moving to the minimum of their assigned pay grade or a 2% salary adjustment. Plus employees also received a 2% adjustment for each year in their position (capped at 5 years) from the new proposed minimum. Any employee whose current salary is greater than the calculation received a 2% adjustment. Additionally, Deputies and Corporals then receive an additional 1 percent for each year in position from year six through year ten. This is not a calculation based on years of service with the organization but years in position. This approach ensures a minimum adjustment of 2% to all employees, helps alleviate compression by advancing employees further into their range relative to their time in position, and directly targets retention concerns for Deputies and Corporals in the 6–10-year range.
General Staff Implementation
Implementation Scenarios chosen for the proposed General Pay Plan:
Employees receive the greater of moving to the minimum of their assigned pay grade or a 2% salary adjustment. This scenario would start by moving the 175 general employees up to their new minimum and, if that movement resulted in less than a 2% adjustment, employees would receive a full 2% instead. Next, the 565 General employees who already fall within their new range would also receive a 2% adjustment. This scenario intends that no eligible employee receives less than 2%.
Dispatch Staff Implementation
Implementation Scenarios chosen for the proposed Dispatch Pay Plan:
Employees will move to the step corresponding to their years in their current position unless this would cause a decrease or receive a 3% adjustment to ensure that all eligible employees receive at least a 3% increase. This option provides the highest overall adjustment and best supports retention, fairness, and internal equity across the organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have reviewed all the information provided and have questions about how decisions were made or what it means for you personally, please feel free to contact Human Resources at 801-399-8623 or humanresources@webercountyutah.gov.