St. Clair County commissioners on Tuesday debated two competing approaches to employee compensation in the fiscal year 2025–26 budget — a proposed 3% across-the-board raise versus a one-time premium payment — and voted to freeze hiring for newly created positions.

The commission considered two budget options: adopt a budget without a 3% total raise, or adopt a budget with a 3% raise and an adjusted pay scale. Commissioners also debated an amendment proposing one-time premium pay of $1,000 to each full-time county employee.

Why it matters: The county’s personnel choices affect multiple departmental budgets and the fund balance the commission uses to meet operating needs. Commissioners said they are balancing recruitment and retention concerns against the county’s fiscal position heading into the new year.

Commissioner comments and staff analysis led the meeting. The county administrator reported that the budget had been prepared both with and without the 3% raise so the fiscal impact could be shown. The administrator said adopting the budget with a 3% raise would be “considerably higher” than the budget without the raise, while the $1,000 premium-pay proposal would be covered within the prepared figures.

The commission approved a hiring freeze for newly created positions. During discussion of removing vacant positions from payroll records, commissioners and the county administrator said that eliminating several long-unfilled positions would free roughly “about a million dollars” in budgeted salary lines; staff clarified this was an approximate figure based on bookkeeping and position lists and would be refined during final budget work.

On the premium-pay proposal, one commissioner formally moved to grant $1,000 to every full-time county employee; the motion was seconded and discussed. Commissioners referenced that the budget presented with a 3% raise would cost more than a flat $1,000 payment per employee and that funding for premium pay would be allocated across the same funds that pay salaries (general fund, road fund, etc.). The transcript records debate and a later comment that the vote on a related motion resulted in a 3–1 tally. The meeting transcript does not provide a clean, unambiguous roll call showing adoption of the FY25–26 budget option (with or without the 3% raise) in a single definitive motion; the commission did, however, vote to impose the hiring freeze for newly created positions and continued discussion of premium pay and specific position removals.

Staff follow-up: Commissioners asked staff to refine the positions-and-savings analysis and to return with more precise numbers once final revenue figures are available in November. The county administrator and chief financial officer said any subsequent additions to the budget would require a future motion and second at a public meeting.

For now, commissioners left open the possibility of adding particular positions back after the budget is adopted if operational needs and final revenue figures justify it.