Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission reviews department budgets and preliminary county budget guidance
Summary
Commissioners reviewed budget presentations from multiple county departments, discussed salary-step policies for elected officials and department heads, and scheduled the county's final budget hearing for Oct. 1.
The Dunn County Commission spent a substantial portion of the meeting hearing department-by-department budget presentations and preliminary budget guidance ahead of the next round of budget hearings.
Department heads presented proposed 2026 budgets and explained material changes. Topics included postage increases tied to new legislative mailings for the assessor/recorder, vehicle and equipment requests in the sheriff's office and road department, proposed changes to engineering and equipment lines in the road fund, and an information-technology coordinator budget that staff said would be established as its own department moving forward. Several presenters said postage and subscription costs have risen and that new legislation has increased mailing responsibilities for some offices.
County administration noted a projected 7.26% increase in medical insurance premiums for 2026 and reminded commissioners the federal inflation rate for June was 3%. Commissioners asked for further analysis of road-department wage bands and countywide pay issues; the board asked human resources and the auditor's office to provide additional wage information before finalizing salary decisions. The county auditor said the final budget hearing will be held Oct. 1 to meet statutory deadlines.
Commissioners discussed a proposed technical change to how elected officials' merit/COLA adjustments are set; the auditor suggested applying the average merit percentage received by department heads to elected officials to avoid gradual inequities on the pay scale. The board asked staff to compute updated figures for the next meeting so the preliminary budget can reflect any change.
Next steps: staff will collect departmental clarifications, return with adjusted salary figures and present the county-wide preliminary budget at the next scheduled meeting; the final budget hearing is set for Oct. 1.
