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Emery County reviews highway budget, considers $2-per-hour raise to retain road crews
Summary
Commissioners reviewed Tab 29 and a set of highway budget requests Friday, including a proposed $2 hourly pay increase countywide in the road department to counter outside recruitment and a string of capital and maintenance needs for chip-and-seal, cattle guards and crusher dust control.
Emery County commissioners on Friday examined the highway and landfill portions of the draft 2025 budget and heard a request to increase road-department wages by $2 per hour to retain experienced workers amid outside offers.
A road department representative described repeated recruitment threats, saying, "Somebody had stopped and offered 4 of my guys $40 an hour," and told commissioners the raise would apply to all full‑time employees in the department. He and staff estimated the change would cost roughly $100,000–$200,000 depending on whether 21 or 24 FTEs are included.
The highway presentation also flagged recurring capital needs: the department rents screening equipment and occasionally an extra roller for chipping operations to speed production and avoid costly downtime. Staff said the county has taken over maintenance of cattle guards the state turned over; the county faces choices between state‑spec guards (about $70,000 each) and lower‑cost BLM‑standard options (roughly $8,000–$10,000) and raised questions about longevity and insurance differences.
Commissioners also reviewed operational pay practices for snow removal and on‑call coverage. Staff proposed a revised on‑call structure for weekends and event call‑outs and discussed straight‑time holiday pay for crews on Thanksgiving and Christmas; staff said the higher on‑call pay is intended to boost responsiveness during peak storms.
Finally, staff outlined a Mine Safety and Health Administration dust‑control update at the crusher that would require an additional water‑truck operator to keep emissions down, estimating roughly $100,000 for the new position. Commissioners asked staff to return with precise costings and the total FTE impact before any formal wage adjustments.
The commission did not adopt a final decision at Friday's meeting; members directed staff to compile detailed cost estimates and the department head to return with a recommendation for formal action.
