Miami County commissioners agreed in a June 25 budget study session to include a 3% pay increase for county employees in the proposed 2026 budget and to add one deputy jailer to staffing, officials said.

The action came during a review of reclassification and wage proposals. Lucas Mellinger, assistant county administrator, presented updated budget sheets and asked commissioners to finalize reclassifications and wage options. "I guess the big question now is where do we land on pay increases?" Mellinger said while showing a spreadsheet with several scenarios.

Commissioners debated several options, including a flat-dollar increase and amounts tied to percentages. Commissioner Keith (Miami County Board of Commissioners) proposed a middle ground and later said, "I would be 3 and a half or 3, in my opinion." Commissioner Paul (Miami County Board of Commissioners) said he favored a dollar approach but ultimately "I can go with 3%" after discussion. The group settled on 3%: "Is that That's the number I have plugged in currently," Mellinger later confirmed.

On staffing, the board discussed adding deputy jailers versus other reclassifications such as dispatch or FTO positions. Commissioner Jean (Miami County Board of Commissioners) said the recent hire of three road deputies made additional road staffing less urgent. After discussion, commissioners indicated consensus to add one deputy jailer next year. "So everybody alright with 1 jailer?" Mellinger asked; commissioners agreed.

The board did not record a formal roll‑call vote in the study session transcript; staff will reflect the 3% increase and the additional jailer in the draft budget documents to be presented at the formal budget hearing.

Commissioners emphasized tradeoffs: several members said they favored prioritizing front‑line public safety and deferred some reclassifications or wage add‑ons that staff are already performing. Mellinger and department leads will incorporate the 3% increase and the single jailer addition into the next budget draft for formal action at a subsequent meeting.

Looking ahead, commissioners asked staff to show the budget impact across fund totals and mill levy scenarios at a future session.