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County staff recommends 3% wage increase for budget planning; capital list updated for elections equipment and select projects
Summary
County administration recommended a 3% across‑the‑board pay increase for use in the tentative budget and proposed adding election equipment replacement and the jail roof to the capital projects list; supervisors asked staff to monitor national economic volatility before finalizing.
County Administrator Derek Ruppier and finance staff presented a budget update and recommended that the board use a 3 percent across‑the‑board salary increase when preparing the tentative budget. Ruppier described current economic volatility — including recent national market swings and tariff uncertainty — and said county revenues remain healthy but that staff wants flexibility to adjust the recommendation if macroeconomic conditions change before budget adoption.
Renee and Austin (finance staff) provided estimates showing a 3 percent raise would represent roughly a 1 percent increase in the overall county budget. The briefing noted the county’s current reserves, capital funds and previously banked receipts from recent years give the county room to propose the raise now while retaining buffers (a budget stabilization fund and a revolving debt retirement fund were discussed).
On capital projects, staff recommended keeping the tiered project list intact and adding the Greenlee County Jail roof repairs to Tier 1 planning. Staff also flagged the county’s elections equipment (central count DS450 and DS200 precinct tabulators) as nearing end of life and proposed phased replacement over several years, noting the county has applied for available HAVA (Help America Vote Act) grants that might subsidize purchases; staff recommended purchasing in stages so the county does not absorb the entire cost in a single fiscal year.
Supervisors asked staff to continue building the tentative budget using the 3 percent assumption but to monitor state and national conditions so the board can adjust before final adoption. The board did not adopt a final wage or budget in the meeting; staff will return during the budget calendar to finalize details.
Ending: Staff will proceed with a 3 percent planning assumption for the tentative budget, include jail roof repair in capital planning and continue evaluating phased replacements of election equipment while pursuing grant reimbursement options.
