Spencer County fiscal court deadlocks on proposed countywide pay raises

Spencer County Judge Executive Scott Travis proposed increasing county employee pay beyond an initial 2% raise already applied, asking the court to approve an additional 4.5% across the board plus $100 per month for employees on the county insurance plan and $200 per year FEBCO for all county employees. The council discussed line-by-line tables of current and proposed rates and a budget summary showing $1,836,542 in base salaries versus $1,929,500 budgeted for raises and hires.

"We cannot guarantee the cost of living increase every year and we are still playing 'catch-up' with pay rates," Judge Travis said, framing the measure as partially corrective. Supporters and critics differed on the structure: some members and staff suggested raising the starting wage to $20 an hour to recruit and retain workers; others urged a merit or sliding scale rather than a single percentage increase.

The court debated practical and budgetary details, including a packet summary that estimated the non-EMS portion of the proposed increases would add roughly $139,527 to appropriations and identified three departments (the Judge's Office, Occupational Tax, and Road) that would be underfunded under the proposed raises without additional budget adjustments. County staff walked members through payroll tables showing individual proposed raises and department-level totals.

A motion to approve the proposed pay increases failed on a tie vote (ayes: Esq. Eldridge, Judge Travis, Esq. Cotton; nays: Esq. Stump, Esq. Pharris, Esq. Travis). After the tie, another motion passed to revisit the pay-rate matter at the next meeting; the court did not adopt the increases at this session.

The court did not make further changes to the budget during the meeting. The matter is scheduled to return to the docket for a future vote.