The C3 Compensation Blueprint

Your Partner for Smarter, Fairer Pay

Creating a public sector compensation plan that works for your team and budget can feel like a big task. That’s why we created the C3 Compensation Blueprint—a simple, data-driven way to build municipal pay planning that’s fair, competitive, and sustainable. Designed with cities, counties, and government agencies in mind, our friendly team makes government compensation planning easy, so you can focus on serving your community.

A hand holding a pen over a table with financial charts, graphs, a calculator, and a smartphone, representing the data-driven and supportive approach of the C3 Compensation Blueprint in creating fair and sustainable public sector pay plans.

Let’s Explore How It Works.

The C3 Blueprint helps you hire top talent, keep employees happy, and stay compliant with strategic pay solutions, all while sticking to your budget.

Hire Top Talent

Keep Employees Happy

Stay Compliant

A diverse team meeting in a modern office with a woman presenting in front of a screen showing a project timeline, while others collaborate around a table with laptops and documents, representing the C3 Compensation Blueprint's support for public sector leaders in creating effective pay strategies.

The C3 Compensation Blueprint is built for public sector leaders like you—city managers and county administrators, and HR and financial decision-makers. Whether you’re a small town looking to compete with private sector salaries or a large agency needing public sector pay transparency, we’ve got you covered. Our tools and expertise help local governments create pay strategies that attract talent, promote fairness, and support your community’s goals.

How the C3 Blueprint Helps You

Here’s how our compensation blueprint for local governments makes pay planning a breeze:

01. Clear Job and Pay Structures

We organize roles based on responsibilities and skills, creating city and county salary structures that are fair and consistent. From setting salary ranges to mapping out career paths, we help employees see how they can grow with you.

02. Competitive Salaries

Stay ahead with public sector salary benchmarking. We compare your pay to market trends and adjust for local costs, so your salaries attract talent without straining your budget.

03. Smart Pay Calculations

From base salaries to enhancement and longevity pay, we simplify local government compensation planning. Our tools factor in performance and experience, ensuring every paycheck feels fair and transparent.

04. Fair Pay and Compliance

With pay equity solutions, we help you spot and fix wage gaps. Our tools keep you compliant with pay transparency laws, so your team trusts your process and outcomes.

05. Budget-Friendly Planning

Plan employee raises and promotions with confidence. Our municipal HR compensation tools forecast costs, so your government pay strategy stays sustainable for years to come.

06. Happier Employees

Show your team how their pay works and where their job can progress. Clear municipal salary structures and open communication boost morale and keep your workforce engaged.

Why Choose the C3 Blueprint?

With the C3 Compensation Blueprint, you get a government pay strategy that’s as friendly as it is effective, designed just for public sector compensation needs.

Make Smart Choices: Salary benchmarking and balanced pay scales guide your decisions with real data.
Hire and Keep Talent: Competitive salary planning fills roles fast and reduces turnover.
Stay Fair and Compliant: Fair pay audits for cities and counties ensure transparency and trust.
Save Time: Easy-to-use tools simplify municipal pay planning.

Frequently Asked Questions

C3 pays off. It reduces turnover, boosts compliance, improves transparency, and enables data-informed pay decisions—all of which translate into tangible returns.

You’ll get a comprehensive compensation report, strategy recommendations, a tailored job classification framework, and your custom C3 CompBook—a digital hub for managing your entire compensation ecosystem.

Absolutely. C3 flexes to meet your organization’s complexity and size—providing tailored, scalable support for cities and counties with up to 500 employees, no matter your budget or staffing challenges.

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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

Ready to simplify your plan?

Want to see how the C3 Compensation Blueprint can transform pay planning for your team?

Try It Out

Request a free demo of our government pay strategy tools.

Book A Free Demo

Talk to Us

Chat with our friendly experts about pay solutions or public sector hiring.