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Griggs County commissioners review 2026 draft budget; staff says levy increase falls under 3% cap
Summary
County staff presented a working draft of the Griggs County 2026 budget and said the current numbers keep the levy increase under the 3% cap while incorporating proposed longevity raises, a reserve and funding for road projects.
County finance staff presented a working draft of the Griggs County 2026 budget and walked commissioners through revenues, salary proposals and special funds, saying the current draft stays under the state-mandated 3% levy cap.
Staff said the draft incorporates a longevity-style salary plan (roughly a 50¢ step per five years in many departments), a recommended starting wage for deputies of $19.50 and commissioner meeting pay modeled as $100 per meeting for budget calculations. The draft includes the pay decisions discussed earlier in the meeting (including the Courthouse custodian hire) and automatically calculates retirement, FICA and other benefit lines based on the salary inputs.
Health insurance costs were raised as a major driver of budget pressure. Staff reported current monthly sample rates from North Dakota PERS: a single policy at $973.64 per month and a family policy at $2,353.58 per month (numbers provided in the meeting); staff said offering family coverage for every eligible employee would increase ongoing county costs substantially and would add roughly six-figure annual costs to the general fund. Commissioners directed staff to obtain quotes from alternate carriers and to examine different coverage mixes (e.g., family opt-in) before making a final decision.
On capital and special projects, staff recapped federal/state and county allocations: the county’s recent Perodot distribution totals $834,004.17 (as reported from staff and county records) and can be used for road projects; county road savings and special-project accounts were discussed as funding sources for County Road 8 and other priorities. Staff said the draft also keeps a reserve and that the county would have roughly $36,004.49 of unused levy capacity to carry forward into next year if commissioners chose to leave the levy at the current calculated level.
Other budget topics during the meeting included a vehicle-rotation plan and reserves for sheriff vehicles, ongoing ARPA/COVID project accounting (security and courthouse projects), and a proposal to examine office software upgrades and set-asides for future courthouse roof or major-maintenance work. Commissioners and staff agreed to reconvene to complete the budget and requested additional vendor quotes (insurance and IT) before adopting a final levy.
