WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — The West Liberty University Board of Governors recently tabled a potential 5% salary increase for employees through the governor’s salary enhancement program for state employees until August.
Rich Lucas, chairman of the board for West Liberty University (WLU) told MetroNews the university will accept the appropriation, which is in the new state budget, but the board wants to give time to the CFO, accounting and HR offices to build $500,000 into the university’s salary budget.
Lucas said WLU has the freedom to decide how to build it into the budget, but it cannot be used for bonuses or a one-time pay increase. He said the enhancement has to be built into the payroll budget but the state has told the university it can’t guarantee another appropriation of 5% because it changes every year.
“When we build in this approximately half a million dollar increase, we have to figure out how to maintain that in the coming years,” Lucas said.
“Our real concern was not having to back into the 23-24 budget and tell our faculty, staff, hourly ‘whoops we don’t have it, we have to take it back off.'”
Lucas said the state may appropriate for raises again in the following year’s budget but ‘may’ is a big word. He said there must be a plan in place by WLU to support the enhancements to 350 university employees.
Lucas said approximately $6 million of the approximate $42 million annual budget of WLU comes from the state of West Virginia. WLU last had an employee salary increase during the 18-19 fiscal year, according to Lucas.
The agenda item tabled during last week’s meeting read:
Action Item
Proposed Resolution: Resolved, that the West Liberty University Board of Governors approve salary enhancements effective October 8, 2022 as follows:
– Faculty – a total of $186,455 to be distributed based upon merit and external competitiveness (equity) tiers as established by WLU Policy 245 and Procedure 240 to those who were on payroll prior to July 1, 2022.
– Staff – a total of $201,983 to be distributed based upon merit, and/or equity, and/or fixed dollars in accordance with WLU Compensation Guidelines to staff at least .53 FTE who were on payroll prior to July 1, 2022.
The next scheduled meeting for WLU’s BoG is August 17.