Emery County budget workshop reviews pay proposals, tourism funds and one‑time project reserves

Emery County staff and county representatives met at a budget workshop to review department budgets, consider one‑time and ongoing funding priorities, and weigh employee pay options for the coming year.

County staff reported an uptick in a museum grant, telling the workshop that the state had increased an award to $15,125 and that roughly $4,800 of the additional funds should be assigned to a special department project line; the grant agreement still needs to be signed and will be brought to the commission next month. "We just got an email two days ago saying that our state grant will actually be $15,125," said S3, the staff speaker presenting the museum numbers.

The museum and archives review also covered equipment and operations: staff said prior purchases of cameras reduced current technical needs but requested a new desktop for staff to avoid sharing a single machine. For the archives, S3 asked that $1,237.79 in unspent grant funds be rolled into next year so the Emery Water digitalization project can be completed.

Tourism and TRT funding were central topics. Staff described reconfiguring a county marketing grant to focus on event advertising, boosting the event advertising line and supporting an event coordinator contract of about $51,000. S3 said a written agreement is now in place to provide the John Wesley Museum $40,000 annually for five years, and an interlocal agreement for the Mill Site is also in effect. Commissioners discussed reserving $1.5 million in surplus for possible Ferrin and Green River event‑center projects if both the travel board and commission approve proposals.

On how TRT may be used, S3 said the state office had advised that counties may hold up to half a year’s income in TRT funds unless funds are explicitly slated for projects. Commissioners debated compliance and the need for public documentation to justify keeping surplus funds. S2 proposed shifting $25,000 of a $35,000 TRT allotment to EMS mitigation, leaving $10,000 for the aquatic center; staff cautioned that any transfer would require agreements and commission approval and noted that EMS is explicitly listed in the state TRT statute as an allowable mitigation expense.

Personnel and pay dominated the latter portion of the workshop. Commissioners considered a $2/hour notation for road department employees (a flat notation rather than a merit step) to address retention and recruitment; staff and HR discussed how a flat dollar increase interacts with the county’s compensation chart. "If the $2 works, then I'm comfortable with it," said S2. HR (S9) explained that the compensation chart uses percentage grades and 3% steps and recommended either a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) or a 6% merit increase — warning that a 5% merit would disrupt the pay chart structure.

The meeting also addressed an on‑call stipend for road crews. Commissioners considered a $39,200 stipend to cover holiday and weekend on‑call pay during winter months but discussed lower‑cost alternatives (for example, a modest flat on‑call payment) to control recurring cost and preserve morale.

Other items reviewed included capital funding (staff said excess prior‑year revenue and recent unbudgeted solar receipts have increased available capital funds), removal of the aquatic center’s debt service levy (requiring reserve transfers to cover roughly $250,000 per year for the next two or three years), library staffing grade and pay adjustments, and the policy on seasonal employee hours (county seasonals are typically limited to 29 hours, not 40).

No formal votes were recorded during the workshop; staff said projects seeking TRT or tourism funding would need to present first to the travel board and then to the commission. Staff committed to compile the revised budget and supporting documentation for future meetings.

Quotes in context:

"We just got an email two days ago saying that our state grant will actually be $15,125," S3 said during the museum review. "It's in place at $40,000 for the next five years," S3 added when describing the written John Wesley Museum agreement. HR (S9) told commissioners, "I recommend either a 3% or a 6% [merit]." S2, speaking for commissioners about the road crew proposal, said, "If the $2 works, then I'm comfortable with it."

The workshop closed with staff agreeing to put the budget together for the commission's next review and to coordinate with state offices to ensure any TRT reallocations or project commitments follow statute and documentation requirements.