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Supervisors weigh raises, health insurance and cuts as levy forecast tightens
Summary
Board members discussed countywide levy scenarios amid higher benefit costs and uneven department asks; they directed departments to resubmit budgets under a zero‑percent raise scenario and to return revised numbers before final levy action.
Supervisors spent a substantial portion of the session reviewing countywide levy impacts and options after several departments presented higher property‑tax asks. The conversation centered on how wage increases and rising health‑insurance costs affect the levy and whether to ask departments to resubmit budgets under a no‑raise assumption.
County finance staff and board members discussed several scenarios. One rough calculation presented during the meeting showed that with all current department asks and planned raises the countywide property‑tax increase could approach 7.9% (a figure mentioned in discussion) while a scenario eliminating raises could reduce the projected levy increase to roughly 4.0%. Board members emphasized the trade‑off employees face between wage increases and health‑insurance stability; multiple supervisors said employees have told them they prefer maintaining robust insurance over a small raise.
Supervisors directed several near‑term steps: (1) ask departments that presented larger increases (notably public health and conservation) to redraft budgets aiming to reduce their property‑tax asks and to return to the board next week; (2) instruct staff to produce a countywide levy estimate if department budgets are resubmitted with a 0% raise; and (3) have specific department heads resubmit line‑item changes (for example ambulance equipment updates and EMA adjustments) so the finance office can model final levy scenarios.
Board members emphasized timing: final numbers must be entered into departmental management systems before March 5 to permit mailing and certification schedules. Supervisors scheduled a special budget meeting to review revised submissions and agreed not to make final levy decisions at the work session.
Ending: The board did not adopt a final levy or personnel compensation decision at the session. Supervisors asked departments to resubmit budgets with a 0% raise scenario and set an expedited follow‑up to finalize the levy forecast.
