Commissioners approve promotions, reclassifications and a $2,000 county employee COLA

Worcester County commissioners on May 13 approved a series of personnel items and set a planning COLA of $2,000 per full-time county employee for FY26.

Human Resources and budget staff presented several grouped personnel requests. Item 6A covered enterprise-fund promotions (13 employees) at an estimated cost of $38,939; commissioners approved the request by consensus. Item 6B covered general-fund promotions (50 employees) with an estimated cost of $180,023; commissioners approved that request as well. Item 6C included classification/title changes across the general fund (25 classifications) totaling an estimated $81,728; that was approved. Item 6E presented a package of new positions, conversions from part-time to full-time and increased hours across departments with a total estimated cost of $1,243,401; commissioners approved the package.

Separately, after discussion and a motion from Commissioner Bunting, the board approved a $2,000 per full-time employee COLA, consistent with the planning figure the board had set for the Board of Education. Commissioners clarified that step increases are separate from the flat-dollar COLA, and that steps would continue to apply where eligible. Finance staff noted that figures for new positions and conversions did not include potential future COLA/step adjustments and that approved personnel actions will be updated in the final budget to reflect any adopted COLA or step decisions.

The board recorded unanimous votes on the promotion and classification items; the $2,000 COLA motion passed as the board set planning direction for staff to incorporate that figure into final budget materials.