Freestone County staff discussed multiple line-item adjustments to the county budget during a meeting, including a $40,000 change, a new separate line for a courthouse ramp reservation and updated payroll-tax and retirement totals.

County staff said the $40,000 change would be reflected in the budget and that several expense items are expected to increase. "No. There was a $40,000," said Staff member 1. Staff member 2 said some judge-related amounts will rise and that retiree supplements will need separate discussion: "be increased for the district judges. 77 can be increased 2,002 thousand and $18 a year. That's not that's not. We need we're gonna look at the, retiree supplements."

Staff described a new line item for a courthouse ramp reservation. "Actually, it's gonna be that on on there because that is gonna make a new line for the Ramp Courthouse reservation. So that 8,000,000 will be on a different line," Staff member 2 said. Staff also identified a $29,000 management item linked to fire trucks and discussed adding smaller per-line adjustments that will appear on specific budget pages. "When we do that, will that increase on page 2 on our, so that's gonna increase that by 29,000?" asked Staff member 1; Staff member 2 replied with per-line figures.

Staff provided updated payroll-tax and retirement totals during the discussion. "So, FICA will go up to $59,221.47," reported Staff member 3. Staff member 3 also read other totals: "Medicare, ... $13,850.18. Retirement, $130,669.31." Separately, staff referred to an office total of $955,185 and several smaller per-line additions that will be reflected on pages 45 and 46 of the draft budget.

The discussion included repeated references to future work on retiree supplements for employees who retired before new insurance coverage was added. "We're gonna look at the, retiree supplements...what to put in place for people that had retired prior to us getting this, this insurance, but they said we couldn't go back," Staff member 2 said, describing a constraint raised in the meeting.

No formal motions or votes were recorded in the transcript excerpts provided. Staff characterized many figures as tentative and indicated further review and placement of amounts on the appropriate budget pages would follow.

Next steps indicated in the meeting: staff will reflect the discussed increases on the draft budget pages referenced in the discussion and return with finalized line-item placements and any proposal language for retiree supplements for further deliberation by the commissioners.