The Churchill County Board of Commissioners on the record approved Baker Tilly to conduct a comprehensive classification and compensation study for all county positions following presentations by two vendors.

Commissioners voted to move forward with Baker Tilly after hearing detailed proposals from Baker Tilly and PayPoint HR. Joe Sanford, county staff, introduced the item as consideration of "possible action approval of compensation study of all Churchill County positions by Baker Tilly or PayPoint HR". Baker Tilly’s team described a five‑phase process of planning and data collection, position review, market assessment, pay plan development and documentation/implementation, and showed a point‑factor job evaluation tool they call SAFE (Systematic Analysis and Factor Evaluation) to ensure positions are measured, not people.

The presentations focused on method and deliverables that would inform the county’s budget calendar. Baker Tilly proposed beginning data collection in November, moving through position review and market assessment in December–January, and delivering a final report and presentation in February so findings can inform a May budget and potential July 1 implementation. Baker Tilly told commissioners they typically take about 100 benchmark positions to market — roughly 60% of positions — to meet a best‑practice threshold for market comparators. Sarah Towne of Baker Tilly said the SAFE tool "is a process to establish the hierarchy of jobs within the organization" and emphasized that the evaluation measures the position, not the person.

PayPoint HR’s presenters, Karen and Dr. Rick Campbell, described a three‑metric approach that combines employee questionnaires (position vantage point), external market surveys and internal hierarchy to produce defensible pay ranges, job description outputs and tools for future maintenance. Karen Campbell said PayPoint delivers "workable format" outputs, including mail‑merge job descriptions and spreadsheets designed to let county HR update scores in‑house. Rick Campbell said their reports typically provide percentile breakdowns for each job so commissioners can choose a target market position (e.g., 40th, 50th, 60th percentile) while considering budget constraints.

Commissioners and department heads asked technical questions about maintaining and reusing each firm’s model, handling law enforcement positions and union environments, comparator selection (for example excluding large Reno/Las Vegas employers), survey response rates, and whether the vendors would include vacancy/turnover data for comparator counties. Baker Tilly recommended routine maintenance studies every three to five years and confirmed it can work with public safety job hierarchies and offer on‑site meetings as needed; they noted an out‑of‑pocket estimate of $600–$900 per 1–2 day visit if the county requests in‑person attendance. PayPoint said their tools are designed to be maintained in‑house and that they aim to provide granular transparency rather than a black‑box algorithm.

Discussion among commissioners after the presentations favored Baker Tilly for perceived ease of working together and deliverable format. A motion to approve Baker Tilly to perform the compensation study was moved, seconded and carried; the record shows three "Aye" votes and the chair declared the motion carried. Commissioners discussed and agreed to give staff authority to include one or two on‑site visits if needed when finalizing contract details, although the formal contract language and visit schedule will be determined by staff.

Next steps: staff will finalize the contract with Baker Tilly, confirm the final scope (including the count of benchmark positions), schedule the county’s kickoff and employee outreach sessions, and confirm whether in‑person visits will be included in the work plan. The presentations and Q&A will serve as the primary record for the selection rationale.