Madison County Board unanimously approves 3% one‑time bonus for county employees

The Madison County Board voted unanimously on Nov. 30 to approve a Memorandum of Understanding with AFSCME 31 General Unit and a separate resolution covering non‑bargaining employees that each provide a one‑time, off‑schedule 3% lump‑sum payment for fiscal year 2021.

The measures, approved by voice and roll call after discussion, resolve wage issues for “year one” of a multi‑year bargaining effort and do not create a past practice or obligate similar payments in future years, county staff told the board. The payments will be calculated on employees’ base pay as of Dec. 1, 2020, and are scheduled to appear on the employees’ Dec. 10, 2021 paycheck.

County staff member Mr. Carruthers summarized the rationale for the short, targeted agreement: "We're going to pay them on their regular paycheck on December 10. That is the next day that we all get paid here at the county, so it will be on the next paycheck," and added that the memorandum "is a settlement of year one." The memorandum signed on Nov. 30 specifies the payment is three percent of base pay as of Dec. 1, 2020, to employees who were employed and union members on that date and remained so through Nov. 30, 2021.

Board members queried how this settlement compared with deals for other bargaining units. Mr. Pollard noted differences in pay schedules among units; Mr. Carruthers said those differences reflect each unit's revenue sources and prior agreements, and that negotiations for years two through four remain ongoing.

The motion to adopt the two measures was made by Mr. Meyer and seconded by Mr. Babcock. A roll call vote recorded 22 ayes and 0 nays; Chairman Pro Tem Mike Walters declared both resolutions duly adopted. Walters praised county negotiators and staff, saying they "did a marvelous job" getting the agreement to this point.

County Administrator David Tanzyus subsequently briefed the board on an initial list of roughly $19 million in proposed ARPA‑eligible projects (water, sewer, broadband and infrastructure) that the administration plans to present to committees and to the full board in December. A board member asked about mental‑health projects; Tanzyus said the county is prioritizing projects that clearly meet ARPA eligibility criteria in the first round.

The board recessed the special session until Dec. 15, 2021; the motion to recess was moved by Mick Madison, seconded by Mr. Meyer, and carried.