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Waynesville council allocates excess sales tax revenue to higher one‑time bonuses for town employees
Summary
After receiving higher‑than‑expected sales tax receipts and investment interest, the council approved a budget amendment to provide a higher one‑time bonus ($1,500 max for full‑time) funded from excess sales tax and interest earnings.
The Town of Waynesville council approved a budget amendment Oct. 15 to use excess sales tax receipts and investment interest to raise the town’s one‑time employee bonus. Council members approved an amendment to provide an additional $1,000 (on top of the already budgeted $500 holiday bonus) for full‑time employees, bringing the total one‑time payout to $1,500 for eligible full‑time staff and $200 for part‑time employees.
Finance and human resources staff reported the town budgeted $4,680,000 in sales tax revenue for the year and received $4,775,537.26 after the final disbursement. Investment interest related to the sales tax account added $628,869.29, leaving total collections over budget of $204,406.05 for the fiscal year. Council members discussed options for allocating the surplus and prioritized both employee retention and other community needs, such as parks projects.
Paige, the town’s human resources director, ran the numbers for the council and presented two options: an additional $500 or an additional $1,000 on top of the planned $500 holiday bonus. “So with the FICA, if we wanted to do a thousand as the max ... our total is at $218,906.28,” Paige said, providing the amount needed to fund the larger bonus including payroll taxes. Council member Anthony moved the budget amendment to appropriate $218,906.28 for the larger bonus; the motion passed by voice vote in the meeting.
Council members emphasized that the bonus is a one‑time payment separate from ongoing compensation increases. Officials also discussed providing quarterly sales tax distribution updates to council to track trending revenue.
Votes at a glance: Council approved a budget amendment in the amount of $218,906.28 to fund an additional one‑time employee bonus of $1,000 (resulting in up to $1,500 total for full‑time employees) and $200 for part‑time employees; the motion passed by voice vote in council.
The council asked staff to provide future quarterly sales tax distribution reports so members can monitor whether the revenue trend supports similar uses in later periods.
