Higher Starting Salaries for Palm Beach County Staff

The Inspector General for Palm Beach County, Sheryl Steckler, claims that she is fighting to keep funding available for the office in which she works yet interesting records show that the vast majority of staff members she has recently hired within the past year are actually earning more money than they should, considering the average starting salary. Several of the staff members entered their position earning more than the actual starting salary for that particular position. In fact, the amount of new individuals hired and earning a higher amount than the minimum salary is actually much higher than those in departments within other counties, all of which was available via county records.

Ever since September, the county has hired a little over 200 employees who are working for the county and will continue working for the county, as they have been hired to be permanent employees. Of those employees, a total of 16 have been hired for positions and are receiving more than the minimum starting salary amount. The chief of operations for Steckler says that the reason they are earning more than the minimum is because the office has been putting its primary focus on finding employees who have lots of experience and are capable of handling different tasks because of their different skills. The office is currently responsible for the county, as well as the cities and towns that are located within the county. It is believed that the new hires need to be able to perform a number of different tasks, especially since there is such a wide array of issues going on within the county that need to be handled by people with the right skills and experience.

The problem is that the county believes that certain employees should be hired with the minimum salary as a start and there is even a policy set in place. However, Steckler and her office do not have to follow the policy and requirement that have been put into place because her office operates as an independent office. Steckler is basically in charge and has the power to set up her own policy when it comes to hiring tactics and salaries for employees. Some believe this is the main problem because there is no type of authority that oversees what she is responsible for doing, believing that this is cause for concern. In the meantime, Steckler believes that the county does not understand her decisions for allowing certain employees to be paid more than the minimum salary and believes the county is not thinking clearly about her office and its best interest.