Deal reached on pay raises for key staff in Westmoreland controller's office

After a monthslong stalemate, Westmoreland officials this week agreed to a salary restructure plan that awards pay hikes to key employees in the county controller’s office.

The salary board, which includes all three commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, unanimously approved raises for the director of accounting and two supervisors. The deal ends a dispute over proposed raises that simmered for more than six months and was twice rejected by the board, the last time just two weeks ago.

The deal calls for increases in base salaries for the three employees, with raises that range between about $4,800 to $8,000, amounts that are in line with what was first pitched last summer and again in December, but does not include additional raises in mid-2022.

Commissioners Doug Chew and Gina Cerilli Thrasher, who initially opposed the first two raise proposals for controller’s office staffers, both voted in favor of the new deal.

“These are generally in line with what I proposed last month,” Chew said, referring to an alternate he pitched during last month’s salary board meeting which ultimately never came up for a vote.

Thrasher said she never closed the door to future discussions about the raises.

“The controller said it was all or nothing but he came back and these are more in line with what Commissioner Chew proposed,” Thrasher said.

Last summer and again in December, Balzer lashed out at both commissioners after they rejected proposed raises for his staffers, calling their votes “incompetent or political.”

Balzer struck a conciliatory tone after both voted, along with Commissioner Sean Kertes, to approve the raises.

“We took the approach they didn’t really understand what we were asking for and put together a presentation. We gave them a better explanation,” Balzer said.

Balzer said the raises were needed to ensure that supervisors in his office were not paid less than subordinates.