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Budget team finds $2.5 million in interest income; recommends pay increases and reserve allocations
Summary
Staff identified roughly $2.5 million in additional interest income (including ARPA-related interest). The Budget Evaluation Team voted to receive updated revenue estimates, recommended a 3.2% employee salary adjustment retroactive to July 1, and moved $1.5 million of the additional ARPA interest into one-time general fund reserve.
County finance staff reported an upward revision to estimated interest income on Sept. 1 that increased available revenues by roughly $2.5 million. Christy (county finance staff) told the Budget Evaluation Team (BET) that catch-up entries and previously unpicked estimates caused the increase, including interest associated with ARPA funds.
The team voted to receive the updated estimate of revenues. After discussion about how to allocate the newly identified money, BET members took several recommendations to present to the budget board. Key recommendations and actions from the meeting:
- Receive updated revenue estimate: The BET unanimously moved and seconded a motion to receive the updated estimate of revenues for FY 2025-26, reflecting the additional interest income.
- Employee pay recommendation: The BET voted to recommend a 3.2% salary adjustment for county employees, retroactive to July 1, to be presented in the September supplement. The group recorded the fiscal effect of that recommendation as approximately $1,000,005.66 for the full 12 months (the figure was presented in the meeting materials and discussed during the vote).
- ARPA interest allocation: Members debated moving $1,500,000 of the newly identified ARPA-related interest into JL Capital. A motion to transfer those funds to JL Capital failed in an earlier vote. Subsequently, the group approved a motion (6–2) to place $1,500,000 of the ARPA interest into the general fund reserve and to mark it as one-time money on the financial watch list.
- Ongoing reserve: BET also voted to place $594,490.46 of September-supplement dollars into the general fund ongoing reserve; that motion passed.
- Other recommended items: The team recorded recommendations to fund the statutory elected-official salary increase (amount discussed as $34,006.98), the county audit increase ($82,001.54), a 9-month courtroom-clerk position ($62,250), and an IT request (Microsoft 365 licensing) for $55,000. Some of those items were presented as recommendations to be forwarded to the budget board for final action.
BET members emphasized procedure and follow-up. Staff (Albert and others) will circulate updated spreadsheets and a revised receipt so that commissioners taking the item to the budget-board podium will have up-to-date numbers. The recommendations will be presented to the budget board in the September supplement agenda; the BET’s role was advisory and the motioned allocations are recommendations unless the budget board takes formal action.
Votes and next steps: The BET formally recorded several recommendations to the budget board (receive updated revenues; recommend 3.2% employee pay adjustment; allocate $1.5 million ARPA interest as one-time general fund reserve; add $594,490.46 to ongoing reserves). Staff will submit the BET recommendation package and the refined financial worksheets to the budget board and will note items on the watch list as either one-time or ongoing funds.
