Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Supervisors propose $1-per-hour across-grid boost as alternative to a COLA for 2026
Summary
Three supervisors proposed a one-time $1-per-hour increase to every cell on the county pay grid for 2026, arguing it would narrow pay disparities and improve recruitment; the proposal would require a budget amendment and was presented as an option, not an adopted change.
Three Rock County supervisors presented an alternative approach to the usual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2026: instead of a uniform percentage increase, the proposal would raise every hourly cell on the county pay grid by $1 for the year.
The presenters, Supervisor Wilson (lead), Supervisor Tillman and Supervisor Schwartz, said the change is intended as a one-time corrective to address pay compression and recruitment challenges. Supervisor Wilson said implementing $1 per grid cell would reduce the disparity created by percentage COLAs, which give larger dollar increases to higher-paid staff.
Why it matters: County staff make up the bulk of the operating budget and recruiting and retention problems were cited as a key driver. The presenters said the $1-per-cell method…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
