Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Employee Pay topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Employee association urges Davis County to adopt a COLA, asks for clearer fund tracking
Summary
Representatives of the Davis County Employee Association told the county’s Budget Committee they support a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of roughly 2.8%–3.1% to preserve employee purchasing power and asked the county to clarify the association’s fund balance and accounting.
Representatives of the Davis County Employee Association asked the Davis County Budget Committee on the record to recognize a cost-of-living adjustment for county employees and to improve tracking of the association’s fund balance.
An association representative told the committee that employee salaries are not keeping pace with recent price increases and urged the committee to consider a COLA to maintain purchasing power. The presenter cited recent macroeconomic measures, saying the Producer Price Index rose about 3.3% over the past 12 months and the Consumer Price Index about 2.9%, and warned that health-care cost growth can more than offset small pay adjustments. The presenter also said research indicated total health-care costs in the Western region rose roughly 5.5% over 12 months. “A cost of living increase isn't a raise. It's an adjustment to maintain the purchasing power of our employees,” the presenter stated.
The association representative suggested a COLA of at least 2.8% and noted that a 3%–3.1% increase would be meaningful and morale-boosting. They emphasized that employees appreciate existing benefits such as paid time off and the option of an HSA or traditional insurance plan, while some respondents favored expanded professional-development support and fertility benefits.
Committee members and staff described the presentation as a useful refresher that aligns with an earlier third-party total-compensation study. Committee discussion focused on two administrative issues: employee participation in the association and the association’s fund accounting. Estimates of association membership varied in discussion; staff referenced roughly 325 members and noted the county has 766 full-time employees, placing participation at under half. The committee discussed additional outreach such as including association information during employee orientation.
On finances, presenters and staff clarified that the association’s funds are employee contributions rather than county general-fund dollars. A staff speaker with historical knowledge said the association moved financing under county custody in the past for administrative benefits and that a fund balance from earlier accounting may exist. Committee members asked the association to verify historical records. The committee chair asked county accounting to add a project code beginning in 2026 to track inflows and outflows so future budgets will show opening and closing balances.
There were no motions or formal votes recorded on the COLA request during this session. The Budget Committee concluded by thanking the presenters and asking the association to provide documented records of any prior fund balances and to return with clarified figures if available.
The committee did not set a decision date on a COLA; next procedural steps are for the association to verify records and for county staff to add tracking in the 2026 budget code.
