Most of the roughly 150 Butler County nonunion workers will receive 1 percent or 2 percent pay hikes in 2015.

The county salary board Wednesday approved 2 percent hikes for 139 employees, 1 percent increases for six workers and wage freezes for seven posts.

County Controller Ben Holland proposed the rate hike schedule, saying new posts or jobs recently filled should not receive increases while people earning too much money according to a salary study should get only 1 percent.

The salary board voted 3 to 1 for the pay increases, which the county calls a cost-of-living adjustment. Commissioners Bill McCarrier and Dale Pinkerton sided with Holland. Commissioner Jim Eckstein dissented, saying the county shouldn’t delay raising the salaries of underpaid employees.

“We should be ashamed, but there is no shame,” Eckstein said.

Holland said he wanted to give higher increases to some workers, but there was insufficient support to take that step.

“I do want to address this,” he said. “There are certainly inequities there.”

Eckstein refuted other county officials’ stance that the increases given to nonunion workers would impact ongoing contract talks between the county and such unions as the Service Employees International Union. The current pacts end this year.

Al Smith, SEIU business agent, agreed.

Smith said in an interview just because the county capped nonunion workers’ raises at 2 percent doesn’t mean the union would settle for that amount.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said.

Smith said the same would hold true if the county gave workers raises up to 5 percent — the union would not ask for the same if it was originally seeking a lower amount.

Lori Altman, director of county human resources, questioned how fair it was for two of her workers to receive 1 percent increases. Holland said that was due to the salary study.

Altman said in an interview she would only take 1 percent as well. Her two remaining staffers will get 2 percent.

Separate votes giving 2 percent increases were taken for each row office, the public defender’s office and county court staff.

Row officers, the chief public defender and the president judge each get a salary board vote for their respective personnel.

Eckstein was the sole dissenting vote for those increases. He opposed the raise for two employees in the register of wills/clerk of orphans’ court, saying one of the posts — the first deputy — was overpaid.

“This post is way over the ballpark,” Eckstein said.

Holland said since the state considers that two separate offices, there could be two first deputies, but row officer Judy Moser opted to have only one first deputy.

In other action, the salary board did not approve title changes and pay increase for two human services administrators.

Holland and Eckstein voted no, killing the motion.

Joyce Ainsworth, county human services director, unsuccessfully argued there still would be net savings, especially considering her former job of deputy human services director was previously cut.

Carmine Scotece, former human services director, pointed out state funds pay those salaries. But Eckstein was unfazed, saying it’s still tax money.

“That is irrelevant to me,” he said.

Scotece stressed the importance of providing human services to county residents.

“We’re fighting for Butler County here,” he said.

Ainsworth said both employees — Ann Brown and Amanda Feltenberger — would have additional duties to compensate for the lack of a deputy director of human services.

“It certainly makes things more difficult,” Ainsworth said about the proposed changes being shot down.

McCarrier and Pinkerton pointed out Holland and Eckstein didn’t support a prior motion that would have saved the county $100,000 in human resources cuts.

Eckstein said the other two commissioners could have supported his proposal, which would have saved nearly as much money.

The salary board approved other changes without dissension.

A new assistant public defender post to be paid $37.76 was created.

The board also approved replacing four part-time sheriff’s deputy posts with two full-time ones.