Dunn County adopts 2026 budget, approves across‑the‑board hourly raises and a contract increase for assistant state’s attorney

Dunn County commissioners approved the county’s 2026 final budget and amended their prior pay action on a motion that replaced a $4,000 per‑employee plan with hourly increases for staff.

The action at the board’s public meeting included a motion to give full‑time county employees an across‑the‑board increase of $1.50 per hour, pay $0.75 per hour for employees hired within the last year, and $0.75 per hour for part‑time employees; commissioners later approved adding $0.75 per hour for seasonal workers in executive session. The board also approved adding $9,525 to the emergency manager’s budget for annual siren maintenance and transferring $50,000 from state aid for the county Water Resource Board’s meeting costs. The board voted to include an increased contract amount for the assistant state’s attorney in the 2026 budget.

Why this matters: The county’s finance staff told commissioners that the county holds a large surplus of gross‑production and other revenue and needs to reduce the carryover balance to comply with state audit expectations. Commissioners said the budget and the pay adjustments should keep the county within the projected preliminary budget while addressing recruitment and retention pressures.

Budget and fiscal context Sally (county finance staff) reported financial projections used in the budget discussion: "Our estimated ending balance for 2025 is going to be roughly $112,000,000. Our estimated revenue for '26 is $47,000,000. So combined, we're going to have $159,000,000. We need to bring that down." Sally told the board the county’s preliminary plan would leave an estimated $72,000,000 fund balance at the end of 2026.

Commissioners discussed transfers that help spend down surplus—examples included transfers to road and bridge and to capital projects—and department heads had trimmed line items before the final vote. The board approved the final budget by roll call vote; all commissioners voting in the affirmative.

Pay action and related changes A commissioner moved to amend a prior compensation motion so that the $4,000 flat increase previously proposed would be removed and replaced with the hourly increases above. Commissioners debated timing, the pay scale survey results presented earlier in the meeting and how future COLA (cost‑of‑living adjustments) or merit processes would interact with the pay ranges. After discussion the board voted to adopt the amendment and the related changes; the vote passed on a roll call showing unanimous support among commissioners present. Later in the meeting the board voted in executive session to extend the $0.75 hourly adjustment to seasonal employees as well.

Assistant state’s attorney contract County finance staff told the board the assistant state’s attorney’s contract was budgeted at $72,000 for the current contract and that the proposed contract for 2026 would increase to $96,000 per year. Commissioners approved adding the increased contract amount to the final 2026 budget as part of a bundled motion that also incorporated the siren maintenance and Water Resource Board funding.

Other approvals tied to the budget The board approved a state overtime funding agreement for the sheriff’s office and approved routine vouchers and transfers as part of the final budget process. Commissioners also approved adding $9,525 to the emergency manager fund for the siren maintenance agreement and agreed to allocate $50,000 of state aid to support the Water Resource Board’s meetings.

What’s next With the vote, 2026 budget totals and the listed contract and program additions are final unless the board revisits them at a later meeting. Staff said they will continue to monitor tax and gross‑production receipts and report back to the board on revenue performance and any required adjustments.