The Bedford County Board of Commissioners approved a 3% cost‑of‑living increase for court‑related positions represented by AFSCME and for nonunion personnel, effective Jan. 1, 2026, but left a broader 2026 compensation plan unresolved after a tie vote and scheduled additional review.

Moderator (Speaker 2) introduced the COLA proposal for implementation beginning Jan. 1, 2026, noting it covered the court‑related collective bargaining unit, AFSCME, and nonunion staff at a 3% rate. Speaker 1 moved the COLA motion, and Speaker 2 seconded; after an amendment removing elected officials (which the board said had been addressed about three years earlier), the adjusted COLA motion passed.

The board then considered a separate motion to adopt the Bedford County 2026 compensation plan, described as based on the board’s recommendation. Speaker 1 moved that measure and Speaker 2 seconded. The roll call and subsequent remarks indicated an unclear or split result: "So we have a tie vote, so I'm going to say that I'll probably have to come back up at our next meeting for discussion after we have time to go through it all," Moderator (Speaker 2) said, and the board agreed to seek attorney verification and to reconvene later that afternoon to finish review.

Votes at a glance
- Approval of December (minutes): Motion moved by Speaker 3, seconded by Speaker 1; moderator announced the motion carried (exact recorded tally not specified in the transcript).
- Cost‑of‑living increases (effective 01/01/2026): Motion moved by Speaker 1, seconded by Speaker 2; motion approved after an amendment removing elected officials; policy applies to court‑related AFSCME unit and nonunion personnel at 3%.
- Bedford County 2026 compensation plan: Motion moved by Speaker 1, seconded by Speaker 2; the transcript shows a contested vote described by the moderator as a tie and the item was deferred pending attorney verification and further review.

The meeting record shows the board planned to reconvene the same afternoon at 2:00 p.m. to resolve outstanding items; the next regular meeting date was stated as Jan. 13, 2026. The transcript does not record formal vote tallies by individual named commissioners, and it does not identify which named individuals (commissioner Wayne or commissioner Bachman) correspond to the numbered speakers in the transcript. The motion texts and outcomes above are stated as they appear in the meeting record.