A salary study on jobs in Butler County government has been delayed.

County Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, said at the commissioners meeting Wednesday that the $16,500 study originally due in April is incomplete.

The commissioners and row officers want the results to gauge whether county workers are underpaid or overpaid.

County salary board members, the commissioners and the county controller, previously debated what salaries some positions should receive.

McCarrier said the initial delay was caused by other counties, which were asked to provide salary information on their employees to be used as a comparison.

According to McCarrier, the Archer Co. of Ohio already submitted information on salaries, but it still has to provide information on benefits.

He said the data so far indicates that most employees are adequately compensated.

“All in all, it was a good study,” McCarrier said.

Commissioner Dale Pinkerton agreed.

However, Commissioner Jim Eckstein did not concur with his colleagues.

“I am not satisfied at all,” Eckstein said.

He pointed out the key posts of chief clerk and solicitor were excluded.

Chief clerk Amy Wilson said she and solicitor Mike English fall into a different category than other nonunion employees.

“We’re political appointees in a way,” Wilson said.

The commissioners can replace one or both of the people filling those slots without having cause to do so.

English said he was unaware of being excluded himself.

“I didn’t even know I’m not in it,” he said.

Kim Geyer, McCarrier’s administrative assistant, who is one of the staff members working with Archer on the study, said it’s more difficult to replace other nonunion posts such as a department head without a reason.

Eckstein also complained about the entire staff of a row office, the register of wills/clerk of orphans’ court, being omitted from the study.

“The whole office opted out,” he said.

Judy Moser, register of wills/clerk of orphans’ court, was unavailable for comment.

Larry Thompson, deputy register of wills, said Moser cooperated by meeting with an Archer representative.

“She was pretty open,” Thompson said.

He did not explain why she chose to not have her employees answer questionnaires on job duties supplied by Archer.

“I have no comment on that,” Thompson said.

Geyer said in an interview that Archer still will supply information about jobs in that row office despite not having the questionnaires answered.

Eckstein said county court posts such as law clerks were not listed either.

Tom Holman, deputy court administrator, said President Judge Thomas Doerr decided the law clerks and the county judges’ secretaries would not be included.

“The reason was the judge believes the study could be seen as an audit of the court judiciary staff, which is prohibited by the doctrine of separation of powers,” Holman said.

However, Holman said his office cooperated with Archer.

“When asked, the court submitted all the information requested for the study,” Holman said.

Eckstein also accused county officials of not giving him the data already supplied by Archer in a timely fashion.

McCarrier said all the commissioners were briefed at the same time, which was Aug. 29.

Geyer said in the interview no one was given information ahead of time to ensure the process was handled properly.

“Nobody did know beforehand,” she said.

Geyer said the Aug. 29 meeting, which included county Controller Jack McMillin, could not be scheduled any sooner due to conferences and vacations.