Texas Officials: No Need to Reward Longtime Service

Not Needed for Retention: Government employees in suburban Collin County, near Dallas, no longer can bank on cash rewards simply for remaining in the same job for years. Known as longevity pay, the inducement first was instituted as a recruiting and retention  tool about 20 years ago. However, county commissioners recently voted to scale back the program, claiming the money saved could be used for other projects. According to the Dallas Morning News, longevity pay has been soaring and is estimated to cost Collins County $3.7 million in 2007. County Commissioner Jerry Hoagland, who advocated the change, was quoted as saying longevity-based pay “is foreign to pay for performance. We don’t need it” because salaries for the system’s 1,700 employees have been on the rise. Commissioners cast a unanimous 5-0 vote. Under the revised plan, new county employees will not be eligible for longevity pay. Also, bonuses will be capped at 10 percent of existing workers’ annual salary.