Commissioners approve 3% cost‑of‑living increase countywide; county engineer given merit increase to $125,000
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Summary
Facing state revenue uncertainty, commissioners set a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment for county employees and approved a merit increase for the county engineer to $125,000 (plus any later COLA). The board said the move balanced recognition of employee retention needs with fiscal constraints.
Dearborn County commissioners on June 1 approved a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment for county employees and granted a separate merit increase raising the county engineer’s base pay to $125,000, with the engineer to receive the same COLA as other county staff in subsequent payroll cycles.
The engineer had requested a raise to $130,000; commissioners debated whether departmental directors should seek increases directly and whether commissioners should have weighed in earlier. After discussion, the board agreed on a compromise: a merit increase to $125,000 that acknowledges the engineer’s multi‑year contributions to bridge and road programs and improves his pension calculation, plus a countywide 3% COLA broadly applied so other employees share in an across‑the‑board adjustment.
Commissioners and finance staff cited a recent Baker Tilly forecast showing a roughly $800,000 revenue decrease in 2026 tied to state policy changes (referred to in meeting as Senate Bill 1), and said the 3% COLA was a fiscally measured step amid tighter revenue projections. The auditor noted the county’s riverboat and other receipts and the need to limit one‑time spending to protect reserves in 2026. Commissioners asked finance staff to publish the final personnel tables after payroll coding and to track pension and long‑term cost impacts.
