Two professionals collaborating over a laptop displaying various charts and graphs, with documents and a plant on the table, symbolizing the C3 Compensation Blueprint's data-driven approach to creating effective public sector pay plans.
C3 Compensation Blueprint

Smarter Pay Plans for Stronger Communities 

Hiring and keeping great people in your city or county isn’t always easy. You need a public sector compensation plan that attracts top talent, feels fair to your team, and fits your budget. That’s where the C3 Compensation Blueprint comes in. For years, we’ve helped cities and counties build compensation strategies that are competitive, fair, and built to last. 

With our friendly team by your side, we make government pay strategy simple and stress-free.

Whether you’re tackling hiring challenges or ensuring pay equity solutions, we’re here to help your workforce and community thrive.

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Why You Need a Better Pay Plan  

Your public sector compensation strategy does more than set salaries—it shapes your ability to serve your community. A smart plan helps you:

Hire and Keep Great People

Competitive salary planning attracts talent and reduces turnover, so you fill roles faster.

Build Trust

Fair pay for government jobs shows your team they’re valued, boosting morale.

Stay on Budget

Budget-conscious plans balance great wages with financial responsibility.

Who We Serve  

We partner with municipalities and counties across the country. Our public sector compensation experts understand the unique challenges you face—like competing with private sector salaries or meeting pay equity solution requirements. We bring data-driven tools and a friendly approach to create government pay strategies that work for your team, your budget, and your community.

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Tackling Your Plan Challenges  

Public sector hiring can be tough. Private sector salary pressure, skill shortages, and aging workforces make it hard to find and keep the right people. We get it, and we’re here to help. The C3 Compensation Blueprint is the plan you need!

Creates competitive salary planning that strategically competes with private sector pay (without breaking the bank).

Promotes fair pay for government jobs across roles and departments.

Plans for the future with workforce retention strategies, so you’re ready for new hires, promotions, and long-term workforce planning needs.

Our Approach

The C3 Difference  

With our pay planning approach, you’ll see:

  • Happier Employees: Fair pay for government jobs boosts engagement and trust. 
  • Easier Hiring: Competitive salary planning fills roles faster and keeps vacancies lower.  
  • Peace of Mind: Stay compliant with pay equity solutions and keep your budget on track with budget-friendly plans.  

Fair Pay, Made Simple  

Fair pay isn’t just about compliance—it’s about building a workplace everyone’s proud of. We’ll help you create public sector compensation structures that are clear, equitable, and based on real-world public and private sector salary benchmarking. Your team and community will feel the difference in continuity and service delivery. 

Powered by Data, Guided by Partnership

Our government pay strategy uses up-to-date salary benchmarking and smart tools to keep your pay competitive and fair. But it’s not just numbers—our team works closely with you to understand your goals, making compensation planning and implementation a true partnership.

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Frequently Asked Questions

C3 is more than a compensation tool—it’s a strategic partner in solving workforce challenges like recruitment, retention, and compliance. It helps align pay with market trends, legal requirements, and your financial goals—boosting service delivery reducing turnover, and supporting long-term budget health.

Definitely. C3 was built for public organizations with up to 500 employees. It’s scalable, budget-friendly, and tailored to your specific needs, meaning you don’t overpay for features you don’t need. We also offer flexible payment options to match your budgeting strategy and planning cycles.

The C3 CompBook is your all-in-one resource for compensation management—housing pay structures, benchmarking data, planning tools, and equity dashboards in one easy-to-use platform.

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Real Words. Real Impact.

  • The Arnold Group’s C3 Team was great to work with. They provided great insight to our compensation study to ensure its successful implementation. They were considerate of our time, budget, and overall implementation plans. They were very punctual, responsive, and provided a valuable service in our project.
    Darin Myers 
    Ellis County, County Administrator & Fire Chief
  • We have had a good experience with the services provided by The Arnold Group’s C3 Team! Phil and Heather helped diagnose personnel issues such as wage compression, proposed solutions, and assisted with implementation. […] They obtained local market values for our positions […] to attract the interest of a greater pool of potential employees. We whole-heartedly recommend TAG C3.
    Mark Watkins
    Labette Community College, President
  • We have been privileged to work with the TAG C3 team on many different projects from placement services to a compensation study. The C3 team has been a great resource for questions and solutions to problems that each HR team faces. They have been able to help the transitions in practices feel smooth, and the assistance in navigating the challenges that come with change has been valuable.
    Helen Foster
    Director of Human Resources, Reno County
  • I can’t say enough great things about working with The Arnold Group’s C3 Team. They are responsive, professional, and absolute experts in the HR field. As a new HR Manager I have come to rely on their team for everything from job classifications to policy development. The Arnold Group’s C3 is always there and always ready to help.
    Matt Morgan
    Human Resources Manager, Riley County Police Department
  • We were extremely pleased with the process and support we received from Phil and Heather during our recent compensation study. They took the time to understand the unique nuances of our organization and tailored their recommendations specifically to us. […] The tools made it easy to administer the new plan and forecast future salary increases for budgeting purposes. Their personalized approach gave us confidence moving forward. We highly recommend their services!
    Chasity Page
    Director of Human Resources, City of Andover
  • Working with the [C3] team has been a lovely experience. You have been accommodating and responsive to my needs and have listened so well! […] Their commitment to me as a customer has been excellent. I have emailed countless questions and asked for small and large adjustments to our product and they never once ailed to meet expectations. I am beyond pleased with our partnership with The Arnold Group’s C3 Team and look forward to working with you in the future.
    Jo Lynne Herron
    Director of Human Resources, City of Emporia
  • I have participated in three market studies conducted by The Arnold Group’s C3 Team. In each instance C3 went above and beyond expectations to ensure they provided the best communication possible. […] Overall morale has significantly improved, and we continue working with TAG to ensure we stay competitive with the market so we never again need a large amount to invest for “catching up” to the market. Our employees are our largest investment, and TAG C3 helped us acknowledge and recognize that.
    Cyrstal Malchose
    Human Resources Director/Special Projects, Geary County

Let’s create a compensation blueprint that strengthens your workforce!

See It in Action! 

Request a free demo of our public sector compensation planning tools.

Book A Free Demo

Have Questions?

Chat with our friendly experts about pay equity and your current compensation challenges.

Contact Us Today