Two pay initiatives aimed at boosting compensation for Henry County employees were struck down last week at a December 14 special called meeting of the Board of Commissioners.

A proposed 10.5 percent pay increase across the board for county employees failed to get approval when a motion to approve died due to a 3-3 vote. Officials cited a high number of open positions, failure to attract or retain good employees, and salaries not keeping pace with neighboring jurisdictions as reasons for the pay hike.

At one point county manager Cheri Matthews proposed to have top county staff forgo raises if it meant getting approval for rank-and-file employees. Greg Cannon, Johnny Wilson and board chair Carlotta Harrell supported the raises, while no votes came from Dee Clemmons, Bruce Holmes and Vivian Thomas.

Also failing was a move to award bonuses to employees who have been vaccinated against COVID. A proposal to give $1,000 one-time pay supplements to the approximately 50 percent of employees who took the vaccines on their own without a mandate resulted in a 3-3 vote on multiple motions. Numerous municipalities have offered vaccine-based compensation of varying levels according to a county staff report, and the Henry County Board of Education earlier this year offered $1,000 payments to employees who were already vaccinated as well as an incentive to those who were not.

In other business, two separate requests for annexation into the city of Hampton were rejected by the commissioners. Both votes were unanimous. One request was regarding properties on Lower Woolsey Road, and the other was for mixed-use and residential properties on Hampton-Locust Grove Road, Hwy. 20 and South Hampton Road. In both cases, a motion was made by Dee Clemmons, in whose district the land is located, to uphold the county’s objection to annexation with the understanding that a discussion will take place with city officials about the sites in question.