Brown County commissioners approve payroll and 50-cent cost-of-living increase amid budget concerns

The Brown County Board of Commissioners approved meeting minutes, a payroll dated the 18th, 2025 and a countywide 50-cent cost-of-living wage increase during its session. Commissioners said the raises must come from individual department budgets and urged caution because of projected revenue pressures.

The pay actions were adopted after discussion about how the 50-cent increase should be applied across part-time and multi-position employees. Commissioner 1 (unnamed) said the percentage increase ‘‘should be for each employee based on the hours worked,’’ adding that someone holding two positions should receive the increase only once. Commissioner 2 (unnamed) emphasized that the raises must be absorbed within department budgets because the board had already cut $135,000 from the county budget.

The board also discussed an apparent larger-than-expected pay adjustment in the Treasurer’s Office. Commissioner 1 noted that the Treasurer’s pay moved from $24.75 to $26.25 — an increase of $1.50 — and asked whether that larger change matched what was presented in the Treasurer’s budget. Commissioners said departments that included raises in their submitted budgets should receive those increases, but any additional countywide adjustments would require review.

Commissioners raised broader fiscal concerns, saying farmland valuation declines and the end of federal COVID-era aid have reduced available cash and made future raises harder to sustain. Commissioner 1 said surrounding counties have enacted larger increases — some citing $1.50 to $2.00 hourly increases or percentage increases up to about 33 percent — and said the county must remain competitive while avoiding unsustainable commitments.

Motions on approving the minutes, the payroll and the salary scale/raise all were called and the meeting record states each motion passed. Commissioners directed staff to confirm individual department budgets and to follow up with departments that had not yet reviewed their proposed numbers.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve minutes: motion passed (vote details not specified in transcript). - Motion to approve payroll dated the 18th, 2025: motion passed (vote details not specified in transcript). - Motion to approve county salary scale / implement 50-cent cost-of-living increase: motion passed (vote details not specified in transcript).

Next steps recorded in the meeting included staff follow-up to verify department budget line items and to clarify whether departments had included requested raises in their budget submissions. The meeting then moved to other business and public commentary on county road-clearing efforts.