Davis County employee association urges COLA to offset inflation; committee to track association funds

Jamie Cox, president of the Davis County Employee Association (DCEA), asked the Davis County Budget Committee on Oct. 25 to consider a cost-of-living adjustment for county employees to preserve purchasing power amid rising prices.

Cox told the committee the association and its members are “very thankful” for county support but said employee pay is not keeping pace with inflation. “A cost of living increase isn't a raise. It's an adjustment to maintain the purchasing power of our employees,” Cox said.

Why it matters: Cox said rising producer and consumer price indexes and higher regional health-care costs are eroding take-home pay and employee morale. She cited a 3.3% rise in the Producer Price Index (PPI) and a 2.9% rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the last 12 months and said a regional health-care cost rise of about 5.5% in the West has been reported to the association. Cox said those trends make a COLA “not a bonus. It's a necessary step to ensure financial stability and maintain a competitive and dedicated workforce.”

Cox recommended a COLA of roughly 2.8%–3% as “meaningful and perhaps a morale boosting gesture.” She also relayed member concerns that any pay increases can be offset by rising health insurance out-of-pocket costs and urged the county to retain both the HSA and the traditional plan rather than reduce options.

Survey and membership: Cox summarized a small DCEA board survey used as a quick check of member sentiment. She said 10 board members responded, reporting 75% satisfaction with the county benefits package and 25% neutral; the most-valued benefit cited was paid time off. Committee members and staff discussed differing counts for county employees and association membership: committee staff noted 766 full-time county positions, while speakers referenced roughly 300 employees in a subset and a separate remark estimating about 325 DCEA members. Cox acknowledged the survey sample was limited and drawn from board contacts rather than every county employee.

Association finances and bookkeeping: Budget committee members and staff clarified that DCEA funds come from employee dues and are not county general-fund dollars. A county staff member identified as Scott said, “no, none of the funds are taxpayer dollars. They're all funded by the employee.” Committee members discussed uncertainty about a historical DCEA beginning balance and agreed to better track inflows and outflows.

Committee direction: One member of the budget committee told the association, “I'll make sure starting in 2026 we won't start with the fund balance... but we'll put in a project code so that you can track all inflows and outflows of that.” That accounting change is intended to make the association's current balance and year-to-year spending transparent.

Other topics raised: Cox relayed member suggestions beyond COLA, including professional development support for required certifications, concerns about tiered premium increases, and a request to consider limited vacation payout or conversion options when employees cannot use leave because of staffing needs. Speakers also discussed participation barriers for branch staff who cannot attend events in Farmington because of shift schedules.

No formal vote or change to employee compensation was made at the Oct. 25 meeting. Committee members thanked the DCEA representatives for the presentation and said staff would follow up on accounting and membership figures so the association and the committee have clearer financial records going into budgeting for 2026.

Ending: The committee meeting continued with routine budget items after the DCEA presentation; committee members and staff indicated they would return with clearer fund-balance figures and the newly created project code to track DCEA revenues and expenses.