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Beaufort County Council approves flat dollar COLA equivalent in 3% budget envelope
Summary
Council voted to distribute the approved 3% cost‑of‑living pool as a flat dollar increase—$1,885 for full‑time employees and $943 for part‑time—after debate over equity and budget timing; vote passed with 7 yes, 2 no, 1 abstain.
Beaufort County Council voted April 14 to distribute the fiscal‑year 2026 cost‑of‑living adjustment pool as a flat-dollar increase rather than by percentage. The council approved a flat amount equivalent to the 3% cost set in the budget: $1,885 for full‑time employees and $943 for part‑time employees.
Why it matters: Council members said a flat-dollar approach directs more dollars to lower‑paid employees, while staff warned that changing from a percent to flat amounts requires line‑by‑line budget edits and additional committee work before final budget readings.
County Administrator Moore and finance staff told the council that a 3% across‑the‑board COLA equals $2,240,509 for positions covered by the county’s class and comp plan. Staff said distributing that total as flat dollars would preserve the same overall budget total but require reworking salary line items across roughly 48 departments.
Council debate centered on equity and logistics. Councilman Logan Cunningham and others argued a flat amount better serves lower‑paid employees; others, including one council member who preferred a 3% approach, said percent increases are easier to administer and apply equally by salary band. Councilman Larry McAllen proposed a round figure ($2,000 full time / $1,000 part time) for clarity; the final adopted amounts reflect the staff calculation equivalent to 3% given current headcount and vacancies.
How the council voted: The amendment to set $1,885 for full‑time employees and $943 for part‑time employees was adopted by roll call. Council recorded the result as seven votes in favor, two opposed and one abstention. Staff noted the county had already built the 3% assumption into draft FY2026 budget materials and that switching to the flat distribution would require schedule adjustments for finance and committee review.
Implementation details: Staff said the flat increase will be applied to salary schedules and starting pay bands; vacancies and funded positions were included in the staff cost calculation. Council and staff also discussed using a combined approach in future years (e.g., base flat increase plus merit/step adjustments), and staff said a compensation study and merit‑based framework would be pursued for FY2027.
Ending: County staff will implement the council direction and adjust departmental salary and wage line items for subsequent committee and reading schedules.
