Black Hawk County staff present compensation study and budget priorities to supervisors

County staff presented findings from a compensation study performed by Gallagher and reviewed proposed salary adjustments for fiscal planning. The study showed Black Hawk County had been slightly misaligned with market averages; staff recommended a modest across-the-board adjustment for elected officials (approximately 4% recommended for most elected roles) and continued phased adjustments for department heads with the goal of moving toward market-competitive pay while preserving fiscal responsibility.

Presenters noted that some earlier adjustments (including a 10% increase given last year for elected officials) moved the county closer to market comparators but that supervisors’ pay remained noticeably below peer counties. Staff recommended prioritizing supervisor pay adjustments in future phases because that classification showed the largest disparity. Department-head and nonbargaining recommendations were discussed as a multi-year, phased approach to maintain internal equity and avoid consecutive large increases.

Finance staff also briefed the board on several operating and capital items to be considered in the budget cycle: the first five years of the county’s Axon body-camera agreement were funded using designated replacement revenue/ARPA funds; the program’s long-term financing will require decisions before the last five years of the 10‑year agreement begin in fiscal 2030. Staff said they expect to deliver an initial draft of the overall budget, excluding some capital and debt-service detail, to the board during the next meeting cycle.

The board asked clarifying questions about benefit changes, union negotiations, and how compensation decisions would be implemented alongside other budget pressures. Supervisors deferred final decisions to the formal budget process but asked staff to return with figures and potential tradeoffs.