Marion County Approves Wage Increases After Salary Study

County employees to receive average 5% pay raise after benchmarking to 60th percentile

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The Marion County Board of Supervisors has approved wage increases for county employees following a comprehensive salary study. The study, conducted by an outside consulting firm, recommended raising county wages to the 60th percentile of the local market, resulting in an average 5% pay increase with a minimum 2% raise for all employees.

Why it matters

Maintaining competitive wages is crucial for Marion County to attract and retain talented public sector workers. The salary study helps ensure the county can keep up with market rates and provide fair compensation to its workforce.

The details

Last year, the Marion County Board of Supervisors decided to commission a salary study to evaluate employee compensation. A committee of non-elected department staff selected Austin Peters Group, a Fort Collins-based consulting firm, to conduct the analysis. The board ultimately chose to implement the 60th percentile wage option, which translated to an average 5% raise for county employees. While some received larger increases, the minimum raise was set at 2% to ensure all workers saw their pay go up.

  • The salary study was commissioned in 2025 during the county's budget process.
  • The study was completed and the results implemented in early 2026.

The players

Marion County Board of Supervisors

The governing body of Marion County, Iowa that oversees county operations and budgets.

Kisha Jahner

Chair of the Marion County Board of Supervisors.

Austin Peters Group

A Fort Collins, Colorado-based consulting firm that conducted the Marion County salary study.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Salary studies aren't something you necessarily do every year. They're done periodically to stay competitive. The 60th percentile will come and that will give us an average, and when I say an average that is an average of 5% of all employees because what we needed to do is we had some employees that needed to come up so not everyone got a 5%, but nobody's pay was froze and nobody went backwards so at a minimum everyone got at least a 2%.”

— Kisha Jahner, Chair, Marion County Board of Supervisors (kniakrls.com)

What’s next

The Marion County Board of Supervisors will monitor the impact of the salary increases and consider conducting additional studies in the future to ensure the county remains competitive in the local job market.

The takeaway

By proactively addressing employee compensation through a comprehensive salary study, Marion County has taken an important step to support its public workforce and maintain the county's ability to attract and retain talented staff.