Greene County sets 2.7% COLA, approves departmental budgets; strips assessordesignation bonus

Greene County commissioners voted to apply a 2.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2026 and approved a package of departmental budgets after staff recalculated pay using each position's base salary plus tier structure.

The action followed earlier discussion about whether a larger 4% raise would be fiscally prudent. Commissioner Randall cautioned against a larger increase, saying, "if we do 4%, we're really gonna be we're we're screwing ourselves for next year." The board instead approved a motion to set COLA at 2.7% for 2026 in a roll-call vote that carried by a 4-2 margin.

Why it matters

County staff told the commissioners that some departments had input pay increases into the draft budget using last year's tiers already embedded, which would have produced larger-than-intended raises if left unchanged. Commissioners instructed staff to recalculate 2026 pay on the base salary, apply the 2.7% COLA, and then add back any longevity/step tiers.

Major decisions and votes

- COLA: The board voted to adopt a 2.7% COLA for 2026 (motion carried 4-2 in roll call). That initial motion set the policy direction; subsequent departmental budget votes implemented the recalculated numbers.

- Auditor budget and…