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County staff earn longevity pay
Employees praised for dedication
county longevity pay pic
Barton County commissions discuss longevity pay for county employees during their Wednesday morning meeting. - photo by DALE HOGG Great Bend Tribune

Barton County Commission meeting at a glance

Here is a quick look at what the Barton County Commission did Wednesday morning:

• Appointed Emily Young to the Health Department Advisory Committee.

The committee provides guidance, recommendation and assistance to the Barton County Health Department staff, said Health Director Karen Winkelman. 

• Authorized longevity pay for eligible county employees for 2022.

• Adopted a revised 2023 authorized positions listing.

The listing was adopted in August and updated in October to account for a change at the Health Department. This change re-categorizes one temporary labor position to a regular part-time position for the Road and Bridge Department.


In authorizing 2022 longevity pay for eligible Barton County employees Wednesday morning, county commissioners noted they appreciated the dedication these staff members demonstrate.

“Longevity pay is a supplemental compensation benefit designed for the employee who has established a long-term commitment to public service with Barton County,” said Operations Director Matt Patzner. Once a full-time employee has reached five years of continuous service, that employee will be rewarded longevity in the amount of $3 for each month of service, with half that for part-time employees.  Longevity payment, which is contingent on budgetary conditions, is typically awarded in November between pay dates, Patzner said. That would be next week.

The funds are in the budget to cover the pay, Patzner said. This includes an estimated $50,307 from the general fund, $8,828.88 from the employee benefit fund and $6,139.64 from non-levy funds (Community Corrections and Juvenile Services, etc.).  

This program has been around for decades.

“I think this is great,” said commission Chairman Shawn Hutchinson. District 3. “This is just so that the employees of our county know we are on their side. We’re looking for people that want to stick around for a long time.”

District 1 Commissioner Kirby Krier noted this is a great way for the county to retain employees.

The pay is issued to the employees in paper check form “so that they really realize what the county does for them,” said District 5 Commissioner Jennifer Schartz. “I think sometimes when you get it put into your paycheck and it goes immediately into your account, you don’t maybe noticed that and appreciated enough. So I really encouraging everybody to support doing paper check. Because I just think it’s really important for them to understand what we do.”

“And I can say from personal experience over the past few years, definitely people definitely appreciate the paper check,” Patzner said.