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Compensation board recommends 90¢ hourly increase for elected officials after debate over COLA and health insurance
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Summary
The Broadwater County compensation board voted to recommend a 90¢ per hour flat increase for elected officials, after reviewing alternatives — a 2.5% COLA, $0.80 or $0.90 flat raises — and weighing budget and health‑insurance cost implications. The commission will consider the recommendation.
The Broadwater County compensation board voted to recommend a 90¢ per hour flat increase for elected officials after debating alternatives including a 2.5% cost‑of‑living adjustment and flat-dollar options for staff.
Chair (S1) opened the meeting and asked members to review salary comparisons and modeling prepared by staff. Staff member (S3) summarized the county’s survey of similar jurisdictions and said the Department of Revenue’s inflation factor for fiscal 2027 is 2.97%, which some members cited as a baseline for COLA decisions.
S3 presented cost scenarios for personnel pay and benefits, telling the board that if the county picks up employee health insurance (an estimated additional $155 per person), the added personnel cost would be roughly $128,340 over fiscal 2026 levels under one modeled option. S3 also said FY26 personnel spending totaled about $6,181,328.05 and that the county used roughly $680,000 in reserves to balance that year’s budget, cautioning that annual COLAs permanently raise future base personnel costs.
Members debated the tradeoffs between percentage COLAs and flat hourly increases. Several members and staff said a flat dollar increase better helps lower‑paid employees (S3 noted roughly 58 staff would benefit more from an $0.80 raise). Others pointed out that picking up insurance while applying a percentage COLA effectively raises total compensation by a larger share than the percentage alone.
After discussion, Committee member (S2) moved that the board recommend a 90¢ per hour flat increase for elected‑official salaries; Committee member (S6) seconded. Chair (S1) called for public comment and further discussion; none was offered that altered the recommendation. In a voice vote the board approved the recommendation and Chair (S1) announced the motion passed.
Board members and staff acknowledged that the county commission — not the compensation board — has final budget authority and will need to weigh whether to pick up health insurance costs and how to absorb the roughly $142,000 annual payroll impact shown in staff modeling for the 90¢ option. Staff and members discussed possible operational savings to offset the increase and the longer‑term implications for reserves and future budgets.
The compensation board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the commission for consideration as part of the next budget process.
