On Sept. 30 the Monroe County Council amended the 2026 salary ordinance to remove county longevity pay going forward, a change councilors described as difficult but necessary as the county balances recurring payroll obligations and a projected budget shortfall.
What the council did: the motion removed longevity lines from the county's salary ordinance and directed staff to defund associated account lines across all funds. The change will apply prospectively; the council preserved a prior decision to grandfather longevity for employees hired before the policy change but eliminated future accruals for new hires.
Fiscal effect: Financial staff presented an estimate of the fiscal impact: removing longevity from all funds would reduce county expenditures by an estimated $341,102 (all funds) and roughly $277,450 for levy-controlled funds. The county auditor and personnel staff will prepare the precise accounting entries and adjust payroll schedules accordingly.
Why this matters: the change reduces an ongoing personnel expense stream and is one of several cost-management steps the council adopted during the Sept. 30 meeting (including the temporary hiring freeze). Some councilors and members of the public voiced concern about the equity of removing longevity, because long-serving employees have relied on the benefit; others noted the county already uses step increases built into salary grids and that longevity had previously been limited for new hires.
Vote: council approved the change unanimously. Staff will update the salary ordinance language and corresponding budget lines so payroll will reflect the change in 2026 appropriations.