Tooele County Council debates COLA, dozens of new positions and tradeoffs; several items deferred to Dec. 2

Tooele County Council spent much of its Nov. 18 meeting on a detailed review of the manager’s proposed 2026 budget, including a recommended 3.25% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA), a merit pool and dozens of new or altered staff positions spread across county departments.

County budget staff and department heads walked the council through requests that, if fully approved, would add about $1.3 million in recurring salary and benefit costs across multiple funds. Auditing and manager’s office staff emphasized that some proposed hires are grant‑funded or come from special/restricted funds while others would be recurring general fund costs that would draw down available balances over time.

On compensation, the manager’s recommendation included a 3.25% COLA and a 1.25% merit baseline; county HR/audit staff said a 2% budgeting assumption for merit might be more realistic based on last year’s evaluations. Councilmembers expressed mixed views — some preferring a smaller COLA — but generally signalled support…