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Finance panel approves 4% COLA for county staff, adds $30,000 for transit for one year
Summary
The committee approved a 4% across-the-board raise for county employees (excluding elected officials) and voted to increase county support for the local rural transit authority from $20,000 to $30,000 for one year to assess service impact. The budget with adjustments will be forwarded to full council.
Committee members reviewed the second draft of the general fund budget and focused on pay and service priorities. Miss Stanley confirmed that the draft included a 4% cost-of-living adjustment for county employees; the committee voted to approve the 4% COLA for county staff, explicitly excluding elected officials.
On public transportation, the regional transit provider requested $100,000 to expand services. Members debated whether taxpayer dollars should fund transit operations and how riders and grant-matching incentives factored into ridership growth. The committee ultimately adopted a compromise: increase the county’s one-year contribution from $20,000 to $30,000 to demonstrate support while limiting financial exposure and allowing the county to evaluate results after a year.
Members also discussed millage options after staff reported a potential 3.9-mill increase would yield about $462,000, but the committee agreed not to pursue a millage increase in this cycle. The revised budget—reflecting the 4% COLA, the $30,000 transit commitment and other adjustments—was approved for forwarding to full council for final action.
No roll-call vote totals were recorded in the committee transcript; motions and approvals were recorded as voice votes.
