EDITORIAL: Lake County leaders should focus on qualified workforce

At a recent meeting, Lake County Council President Ted Bilski proposed the 3-percent raise, which would cost the county $388,000 for the remainder of 2016 and $900,000 for all of 2017.

Councilman Eldon Strong, one of two Republicans on the county's chief fiscal body, made a counter proposal for a graduated salary increase of employees earning $50,000 or less, 2 percent for those earning between $50,000 and $80,000 and 1 percent for those earning more than $80,000 each year.

None of those recommendations have yet been adopted.

Regardless of the council's final decision on the matter, any pay moves must be supported by the fiscal realities in which the county finds itself.

And rather than debating graduated increases, county leaders should begin discussing new steps at quality control and possible consolidation of existing positions into better-paying jobs that attract more qualified employees.

A recent Times two-year review of Lake County government finances revealed the county paid more than 150 consultants as much as a collective $11 million to perform government work.

Much of this was work farmed out by individual county offices — some of which could and should be done more cheaply by qualified county workers.

Lake County has long been plagued by patronage hiring of workers based on political relationships and nepotism.

Before adopting pay increases to sustain such habits, it's time for our county leaders to take a good look at the system and determine where quality can trump quantity.