Supervisors agree to model 2.6% across‑the‑board for next budget run; HR warns flat dollar raises would compress pay scales

The board discussed the Compensation Board’s recommended elected‑official raises and how to treat nonbargaining and open contracts during the FY27 budget modeling.

Stella Runde summarized the Compensation Board recommendations and the starting modeling assumptions: recommended projected increases included 6.25% (attorney), 7% (auditor), 8.5% (recorder), 3.5% (sheriff), 7% (treasurer) and 5.6% (supervisors); open contracts and nonbargaining items were initially modeled at 3%.

Supervisor discussion included a proposal to give each elected official a flat $2,100 increase, which some supervisors said would be a roughly similar percent for lower‑paid officials but would compress higher salaries. Chelsea Green, HR director, advised against a flat‑dollar approach for staff on the compensation plan: “Based on how the plan was built, changing that to dollar amount … would eventually cause compression in those scales,” she said.

Supervisors debated special treatment for the sheriff’s office (recruitment concerns) and questioned whether deputies tied to elected officials would see corresponding increases; Runde clarified that deputies’ pay is tied by percentage to the elected official’s salary where contracts prescribe it.

For modeling purposes only, the board reached consensus to use 2.6% across the board for elected officials, nonbargaining staff and open items and to run alternate scenarios (including the $2,100 per elected official and a 3.5% sheriff option) for comparison at a future work session.

Why it matters: compensation choices are among the largest budget drivers. The board’s modeling decision narrows the scenarios staff must run before supervisors make final budget decisions later in the cycle.