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Commissioners confirm balanced budget draft, set 2.3% COLA and double longevity funding for civilian employees
Summary
The court reviewed budget workshop outcomes and confirmed a balanced draft budget; it included a 2.3% cost-of-living adjustment based on April CPI and full funding of the county's employee longevity plan, and reduced current-tax construction allocation to $400,000.
Johnson County Commissioners Court said Aug. 11 that the county's proposed budget is balanced and confirmed key personnel and capital funding decisions ahead of a scheduled public hearing on Sept. 8.
County Judge Monk told the court that the auditor's office had confirmed the budget "is balanced to zero." The court approved posting the proposed budget and tax rate for the required public hearings on Sept. 8 at 9 a.m. in the Johnson County courtroom.
Why it matters: the county's budget choices affect employee pay and county-funded projects for the fiscal year. The court set a 2.3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for employees, using the April consumer-price index as the baseline. The court also approved fully funding the longevity-pay plan for civilian employees, which the county described as doubling the longevity payment package compared with last year; the county said that will materially increase pay for long-serving employees over time.
Key budget details discussed on the record: - Auditor confirmation: County staff reported the budget balanced to zero following last week's workshops and adjustments. - COLA: a 2.3% COLA (April CPI) discussed as a baseline; commissioners debated whether that percent sufficiently supports lower-paid staff and requested continued consideration in future budgets. - Longevity funding: civilian-employee longevity pay was described as fully funded for the coming fiscal year, increasing payout levels for eligible employees (kick-in at five years of service; larger payouts for longer service tiers were discussed). - Capital/construction funding: the court reduced current-year county-tax dollars allocated to construction from about $750,000 to about $400,000 to balance the budget, while maintaining a capital improvement fund for future projects. - CA11: the consent agenda included a $500,000 transfer into the county health insurance fund (moved from budgeted health-insurance amounts) to stabilize that fund and reduce the chance of future employee premium increases.
ARPA and project timing: staff said American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocations are fully committed to projects at this point; the court discussed one ARPA-eligible juvenile building project and a sheriff vehicle processing center that are expected to return in September for contract award. County staff warned that some projects had previously produced bids far above budget (one project received bids roughly three times budgeted estimates), and the court discussed using any available ARPA dollars to finish eligible work before federal deadlines. Staff identified a federal deadline in 2026 for ARPA spending obligations and said projects likely must break ground soon to be eligible.
Next steps: public hearings on the proposed budget and tax rate are posted for Sept. 8 at 9 a.m.; final budget and tax-rate votes will occur immediately after those hearings. County staff will continue work on bid procurement, ARPA-eligible project execution, and internal cost reviews requested by commissioners.
Ending: The court recessed workshop discussions and moved to action items and executive session after confirming the balanced budget and related policy choices.
