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Grant County Fiscal Court holds first reading of 2026–27 budget, approves 2.7% raises for elected officials
Summary
At a special meeting the Grant County Fiscal Court conducted a first reading of the FY2026–27 budget, outlined a 2.71% CPI increase for most employees plus targeted higher adjustments for some departments, approved lease-to-own payments for six cruisers, and approved 2.7% pay adjustments for magistrates, the coroner and the county attorney.
At a special meeting this evening, the Grant County Fiscal Court held a first reading of ordinance 0010-2026-302, the fiscal year 2026–27 budget, and approved a series of 2.7% compensation adjustments for several county officers.
The court’s presiding official said the budget “does contain from a highlighting perspective a CPI of 2.71% for the majority of departments,” and that most employees will receive at least that amount. The official said a few departments — notably the animal shelter staff, road department laborers and certain sheriff’s positions — would receive larger increases to improve pay competitiveness after years of incremental adjustments.
The budget discussion also included a procurement decision for sheriff fleet replacement. The presiding official said the sheriff’s office recommended a lease-to-own approach to replace roughly six cruisers over the next couple of years, allowing the county to update multiple vehicles at once while making annual payments. “Based on our experience … we felt comfortable,” the official said, describing prior lease-to-own use by the road department.
Officials also flagged a new Local Aid Road (LAR) funding requirement that will require a county match for eight county roads; the presiding official estimated a 17–18% county match on those projects and said the road budget will reflect that obligation.
After the presentation, the court moved to adjust compensation under the statutory provisions cited in the meeting. Using the cited authority, the court approved a 2.7% increase for Grant County magistrates effective July 1, 2026; the motion was seconded and approved by the members present. The court likewise approved 2.7% adjustments for the Grant County coroner and the Grant County attorney, each effective July 1, 2026.
A magistrate asked whether all employees would receive the 2.7% increase; the presiding official replied that “all employees will at least receive the CPI of 2.7.” Questions from the public included how the Department for Local Government determines the CPI recommendation; officials answered that the Department (based in Frankfort) issues an annual compensation/CPI recommendation for local governing bodies and that the recommendation is not mandatory.
The presiding official said the full budget document is available from the judge executive’s office for residents who want detailed line-item information. Several operational items — including repair of a shredder and the status of removed tires — were described as still under review and without final decisions.
The court concluded the first reading and said the judge executive would sign the ordinance for routing by the treasurer to the Department for Local Government for review ahead of a second reading and final adoption. The meeting adjourned with plans to reconvene on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, unless the chair calls an earlier session.
