Boone County adopts 2026 budget, approves 3% raises and cuts courthouse contingency to $100,000

Boone County Commissioners voted to adopt their proposed 2026 budget on the final motion of a budget workshop, approving a 3% cost‑of‑living increase for county employees (with a mandatory minimum of 2.5% and discretionary top‑ups not to exceed 5%), a one‑time payout tied to revised PTO caps and a longevity payout for long‑tenured employees. The commissioners also adopted the solid waste budget after a public hearing and reduced an earlier $500,000 courthouse contingency to $100,000 while directing staff to obtain estimates and security planning before further spending.

The actions come after several hours of discussion about personnel lines, courthouse safety upgrades, engineering and design money for the KeyBank renovation, and other capital and operating items. County staff said the county’s net assessed values remain under review and that the advertised levy/rates were set to preserve planned fund revenues regardless of final state property valuation changes.

Why it matters: the package increases near‑term payroll costs and authorizes one‑time payments while holding overall advertised levy levels steady; it also sets aside funds for courthouse repairs and security planning but limits immediate spending pending firm estimates and council approval.

What the commissioners decided

- Employee compensation: Commissioners approved a 3% salary increase for county employees, with a mandatory 2.5% minimum for any eligible employee and the remainder available as discretionary increases up to a 5% cap per employee. The motion also preserved the large majority of the previously discussed position adjustments that were intended to move certain roles toward midpoint market pay.

- HSA and benefits: The commission voted to keep the current Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution levels "as they are" rather than adopting a staff proposal to raise the single (employee only) HSA. County staff had noted prior numbers of $1,200 for employee only and $2,400 for employee+1; the commission kept those existing levels.

- PTO payout and longevity: Commissioners approved a one‑time PTO payout to reduce existing excessive PTO banks to new caps (proposed caps were 210 hours for 35‑hour employees and 240 hours for 40‑hour employees) and approved one‑time longevity payments estimated at about $36,000 for 2026 to cover employees meeting the 20‑year continuous service threshold. Staff estimated the PTO payout cost at about $73,502.02 based on current balances and the proposed cap reduction.

- Solid waste budget: Following a public hearing, the commission adopted the separate solid waste budget as presented.

- Courthouse funding and security: The commission discussed a previously proposed $500,000 allocation for courthouse projects, including security upgrades identified in an internal walkthrough and a K2M study of capital needs. After debate about scope and oversight, commissioners voted to reduce the commissioners’ courthouse line from $500,000 to $100,000 and specified that further spending would require council approval and monitoring by the auditor. Commissioners directed staff to engage one or more security firms to produce a prioritized plan and cost estimates; several commissioners emphasized the need for professional recommendations because of the courthouse’s age and identified vulnerabilities.

- KeyBank renovation/design: Commissioners confirmed a proposal to budget $500,000 in total for architectural and engineering services for the KeyBank building renovation (the county’s contract with K2M was cited for conceptual and design work). Staff said approximately $130,000 of the current year’s engineering services line is under contract and that the $500,000 would fund full design through bid documents.

Discussion and context

Commissioners and staff spent significant time differentiating planning/design money from construction/renovation spending. Commissioner Beyer described courthouse security concerns raised by judges and sheriff’s staff and said upgrades were "low‑hanging fruit" that could improve safety without large taxpayer burdens. Captain McClain and sheriff’s personnel were named as points of contact in planning; staff described an on‑site demonstration of window film and indicated a representative would test materials locally.

Several commissioners pushed for receiving firm, itemized cost estimates before approving large outlays from reserves. That concern led to the motion limiting the courthouse contingency to $100,000 and a requirement that specific expenditures be approved by county council and monitored by the auditor.

Votes at a glance

- Solid waste budget: Motion to adopt (passed; mover/second not specified in record). - Add office assistant/HR assistant position to proposed budget: Motion to include the position in the proposed budget (passed). - HR consulting line ($10,000): No change (discussion only; staff explained line covers trainings, certifications, job postings, search firms, surveys). - Courthouse commissioners’ contingency: Reduce from $500,000 to $100,000 and require council approval/estimates for spending (passed). - KeyBank design/engineering: Commission confirmed $500,000 request for full design (engineering/design contract with K2M referenced; staff said approx. $130,000 of current year funds are under contract). - HSA contributions: Motion to keep current HSA amounts (passed). - PTO payout: Motion to authorize a one‑time PTO payout to reduce bank caps (passed; estimated cost $73,502.02). - Longevity payments: One‑time longevity payout for 2026 (passed; estimated cost $36,000). - Cost of living/salary adjustment: 3% increase for county employees with a mandatory 2.5% minimum and discretionary uplifts not to exceed 5% per employee (passed). - Final adoption of the 2026 budget: Motion to adopt the budget (passed).

Speakers and attributions

The article attributes direct remarks only to speakers identified in the meeting record. Full list of speakers referenced in the record: Debbie (county finance staff), Susan (county staff), Jennifer (county staff), Sherry (HR/commission staff), Amber (HR staff), Commissioner Beyer (Boone County Commissioner), Commissioner Lawson (Boone County Commissioner), Commissioner Pell (Boone County Commissioner), Commissioner Barr (Boone County Commissioner), Captain McClain (sheriff’s office), Sergeant Nichols (sheriff’s office), Sheriff Harris (sheriff), Nikki Baldwin (Treasurer), Max (facilities/project staff), Judge Pettit (circuit judge), Judge Shine (superior court judge), Tammy Rose (county staff), Lisa Bruder (recorder or office staff), Kenton (county official), and unidentified speakers listed in the transcript when a specific speaker name was not provided. Quotes in this article are drawn only from those named in the transcript. Example quote: Commissioner Beyer said, "The safety and security is paramount, that building."

Clarifying details captured from the workshop

- Courthouse contingency originally proposed: $500,000; reduced by vote to $100,000. - KeyBank design/engineering request: $500,000 total for full design; $250,000 shown in 2025 budget with about $130,000 expected to be spent in the current year; K2M under contract for conceptual design. - PTO payout estimated cost: $73,502.02 (staff calculation to reduce caps to proposed levels). - Longevity payout estimated cost for 2026: approximately $36,000 (covers employees with 20+ years of continuous service). - HSA amounts referenced during discussion: $1,200 (employee only) and $2,400 (employee+1); commissioners voted to keep current amounts. - Salary adjustment approved: 3% across the board, mandatory 2.5% minimum; discretionary remainder available up to a 5% cap per employee. - Solid waste budget: opened for public hearing and adopted during the workshop.

Proper names (normalized)

Boone County (government/jurisdiction), KeyBank (facility/project), K2M (architectural/engineering firm), Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush (referenced), Nikki Baldwin (Treasurer), Captain McClain (sheriff’s office), Sergeant Nichols (sheriff’s office), Sheriff Harris (sheriff), Judge Pettit (judge), Judge Shine (judge).

Community relevance and next steps

Commissioners directed staff to return with firm cost estimates and a security plan from qualified vendors before releasing larger sums for courthouse upgrades. Council approval will be required for specific large expenditures. Staff also said they will follow up with county financial projections once property valuation and state assistance information are finalized; additional budget adjustments or transfers are expected at or before the council’s November/December meetings.

Provenance

Transcript segments used as evidence for this article are listed below (topicintro = first related passage; topfinish = last related passage). The excerpts are verbatim from the transcript.