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Pike County court holds first reading of FY 2026 budget as officials debate 2% vs. 3% raises
Summary
County officials presented a proposed $116.6 million fiscal‑year 2026 budget in a first reading and debated employee pay raises, with the judge advocating a 2% raise citing long‑term fiscal concerns.
Roy read the fiscal court's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget by title during the May 6 meeting, listing projected total revenues and total expenses of $116,601,125.
Judge Jones said he submitted the budget at the prior meeting and urged that any amendments be ready before the next court meeting so the budget can be advertised and proceed to adoption. "Total revenues are $116,601,125. That is projected total revenues," Roy said during the title reading.
The court then debated a proposed across‑the‑board pay raise for county employees. Judge Jones argued for a 2% increase as a conservative approach to avoid long‑term fiscal strain, saying the county faces declining coal severance revenue and rising health insurance and retirement costs. He quantified the immediate effect of a 2% raise as roughly a $320,000 increase in payroll costs and said a 3% raise would be about a $480,000 increase over last year’s base.
Several commissioners and staff discussed tradeoffs between keeping pace with cost‑of‑living changes and preserving long‑term fiscal stability. No final vote on pay raises or on the full budget occurred; the court completed only a first reading and set the schedule for advertisement and a subsequent meeting to act on the budget.
Court members asked staff to prepare any proposed amendments before the next meeting so the budget can be advertised and considered for adoption at the second meeting in May.
