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Clay County staff say general fund balanced; $141 million proposed with 3% COLA and staffing adjustments
Summary
Budget staff told commissioners the proposed general fund is currently balanced at about $141 million, with reserves at 16.7%. The proposal trims project spending, reduces FTE requests and includes a 3% cost-of-living adjustment with targeted range moves; proposed budget books will be handed out before September hearings.
County budget staff briefed the Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 27 on progress toward a balanced 2025 proposed budget, telling the board the general fund is projected at about $141 million in expenditures with reserves near the Government Finance Officers Association recommendation of 16.7 percent.
Staff said earlier workshops reduced 127 initial new‑position requests to a smaller set for the proposed budget; in the current package they plan to include roughly seven FTEs and 15 firefighters compared with earlier requests. As part of a phased compensation study, staff recommended a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) aligned with the state and targeted range adjustments for employees below midpoints.
"My proposal this year is to give a 3% COLA...and hold back 1.5% to move those below the midpoint closer to the range," budget staff said during the presentation. Staff also described project timing changes to defer or reduce scope on multiple capital items to keep the general fund balanced without CARES or ARPA carryovers.
County staff plan to present full budget books to commissioners ahead of the first public hearing so members can review the complete package before the public hearings in September. Commissioners commended staff for reaching the reserve threshold and for the level of detail in the forthcoming budget book.
