The court voted Aug. 4 to give a 6% pay increase across the board to county employees and elected officials, double the monthly longevity credit (from $6 to $12 per month) and remove the longevity cap. The decision was recorded for publication so affected elected officials have the statutorily required five-day window to file a grievance or protest.

Why it matters: payroll is a major component of the general fund; staff told the court total salaries (including payroll taxes and retirement) are just over about $5,000,000, and a percentage-point change across the payroll aggregate was discussed as a significant budgetary item. The court's action allocates a portion of newly available revenue to compensation and changes the longevity schedule for long-tenured employees and elected officials.

Discussion and options considered: staff presented two primary scenarios: (1) the previously discussed 5% across-the-board increase for most elected officials with a 10% increase for commissioners; and (2) a 6% across-the-board increase for everyone combined with adjustments to the longevity system (double the per-month credit and remove the cap). The staff said the longevity credit currently is $6 per month, capped at roughly 25 years (a full longevity cap of about $1,800). The staff prepared figures showing current elected-official pay totals (listed in the draft as $840,007.89 in pay-only figures) and projected increases under the options (the staff's worksheet estimated total elected-official pay rising to roughly $892,048.48 under the 6%/longevity option). The staff also cautioned that some revenue sources (Senate Bill 22 funds and road/bridge allocations) affect how much of the revenue can be applied to general-fund payroll.

Commissioner remarks centered on equity among employees and elected officials and the potential for grievance filings. One member warned that approving raises for elected officials at a different rate than other staff could prompt protests. The court discussed variations (6% for everyone with a 1% or 2% difference for commissioners) before moving forward with the 6%/double-longevity/no-cap option.

Action and vote: a motion to adopt the 6% across-the-board increase with doubled longevity and no cap was seconded by Commissioner McGowan and approved on the record. The clerk recorded that two commissioners voted in opposition and the motion passed. The staff said the county would publish the proposed elected-official salaries that day, starting the five-day protest period that an elected official may use to file a grievance.

Next steps and limits: the staff warned that elected officials may file formal protests; the meeting record notes that the protest/grievance process is handled by a local panel as provided under county procedures (described on the record as a mixed local pool, referenced by staff). The court also said it will revisit detailed budget spreadsheet work in a follow-up meeting the following week to finalize the overall budget once protests and final revenue allocations are resolved.