Walsh County Commission approves budget target to close pay gap, adds 2.5% COLA option

The Walsh County Commission on July 8 reviewed a county staff market study and voted unanimously to include in the preliminary 2026 budget a scenario that models moving salaries to market levels and applying a 2.5% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA).

County staffer Tanya, who presented the market review and COLA options, told commissioners the office used the Consumer Price Index and regional labor data to develop choices for the commission. "We use the CPI index, the consumer price index, to guide us," she said, and noted the May 12‑month Midwest CPI reading used in the analysis was 2.4 percent. Tanya said she included both 2.0% and 2.5% COLA scenarios and ran market comparisons that incorporated Grand Forks County as a comparable at a 90% weighting where appropriate.

The study found Walsh County’s average position in the local market at about 91 percent of market pay. "Our total average position in market is 91%," Tanya said, and she showed sample positions that ranged from the low 80s to the mid‑90s in market percentile. She explained the county had previously split full staff adjustments into thirds and that this year would have been a catch‑up step for positions not reviewed last year.

Commission discussion focused on how to apply market adjustments and a COLA. Commissioner Paul asked about the market methodology: "When you're measuring, you know, you're taking a sample from another market, are you looking at the median number?" Tanya replied she generally uses the median but sometimes adjusts where the comparator data show many employees are very new, saying she will look at the lower end of the scale in those cases.

After discussion, commissioners considered a budgeting scenario that would move reviewed positions to 100% of market and apply a 2.5% COLA for all employees. Commissioners approved that option for inclusion in the preliminary budget by roll call: Jenny — yes; Ernie — yes; Paul — yes; Amy — yes; Chair (voting as "myself" in the roll call) — yes. The county manager and staff will use that option to model budget impacts; Tanya had provided staff estimates showing the highest‑cost scenario could be roughly $210,000 depending on how the COLA and market adjustments are applied.

The commission’s vote was to direct staff to include the 100% market adjustment plus a 2.5% COLA scenario in budget materials for the coming cycle. Commissioners did not adopt definitive pay changes at the meeting; the action was to include the scenario in budget planning and to circulate numbers to department heads so they can prepare their line items. Tanya confirmed department heads had been consulted on compression issues and one‑on‑one adjustments where needed.

The commissioners also discussed technical details raised by the study: which positions had already been reviewed (dispatchers and some public‑safety positions had been reviewed previously), how step increases and merit steps are handled (Tanya said assumed step increases were included for budgeting when performance is satisfactory), and why Grand Forks County was added back into the comparator group at 90% after Rolla/Rollout County was removed because it was not a good market fit.

The commission expects follow‑up budget sessions and staff modeling before any final wage decisions are adopted. Department heads will receive the figures so they can prepare department‑level budgets reflecting the chosen scenario.