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Park County Commission approves 2% COLA for elected officials and county staff
Summary
The Park County Commission voted to approve a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for elected officials and a separate 2% increase for non-elected county staff for FY26 after reviewing compensation-board recommendations and budget pressures.
PARK COUNTY — The Park County Commission voted to provide a 2% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for elected officials and a separate 2% COLA for non-elected county staff for fiscal year 2026, after hearing compensation-board recommendations and discussing budget constraints.
The commission opened the meeting with a summary of the compensation board’s analysis. A committee member summarized that the CPI calculation used was about 2.9% and that the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ employment cost index for the year ending March 2025 showed about 4.3%. “The compensation board did meet, and they elected to round up to 3%,” the committee member said, adding that the total increase for elected officials would be “about $26,000.”
Commissioners discussed trade-offs between maintaining reserves and addressing rising living costs. The Chair noted public feedback and budget sensitivity, saying that each 1% change in wages represents roughly $70,000 in county payroll cost. The committee member also outlined administrative complications with retroactive pay under the county’s retirement system and described alternate timing options to implement an increase without complex retroactive calculations.
After discussion, the committee member moved to provide a 2% COLA for elected officials, noting the compensation board’s 3% recommendation but proposing the lower figure to balance pay equity and fiscal prudence. The commission called the question and approved the motion by voice vote. The same member then moved to provide a 2% COLA for non-elected staff for FY26; that motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
The commission directed staff to continue detailed line-by-line budget review and scheduled a workshop to examine spending and reserves before broader budget decisions. The meeting closed after a brief recap of a productive intergovernmental meeting with neighboring Big Timber officials.
The commission’s actions: two motions to set COLAs at 2% (one for elected officials, one for non-elected staff) were approved by voice vote. The meeting record did not include roll-call tallies or the names of commissioners voting; minutes will record formal results.
