At a Banner County budget workshop, commissioners asked elected officials to prepare budgets assuming a total budget increase of 3 percent while limiting salary increases to 2.4 percent.

The guidance is intended as a target, not a final appropriation. Commissioners said the figure will give officials a clear ceiling to use when preparing budgets and to help the board assess levy impacts before adopting final numbers.

The board’s preliminary direction asks offices to treat 2.4 percent as the maximum cost‑of‑living adjustment for wages and use the 3 percent figure for other line‑item growth. "I'm going for 3%," one commissioner said during the workshop, and another added, "I won't go above 3," framing the board’s starting position for discussions with elected officials.

Staff said they will send an official email to county offices with the guidance and schedule one‑on‑one budget meetings. The workshop schedule noted a planned workshop on July 15 to meet with officials and a follow‑up meeting on Aug. 19 to review revised numbers and the county’s revenue estimates.

Commissioners emphasized that the guidance is preliminary. If the county’s revenue picture changes or Casey, the assessor, provides updated valuation numbers, the board said it will revisit the ceiling and may reduce the allowable growth.

What the board decided is procedural: provide a single, consistent growth percentage to elected offices so they can prepare budgets that the board can review; it does not authorize any appropriation or formal change to the levy. Final budget adoption and any levy decisions will occur at later, publicly noticed meetings.

The workshop closed with staff tasked to circulate the guidance to elected officials and to place one‑on‑one review meetings on the calendar.

Ending: The board’s guidance sets a clear, narrow starting point for budget submissions; officials and staff will return with detailed line‑item proposals and updated valuation figures before the board considers adoption.