Emmons County commissioners weigh 3% COLA and targeted step raises to correct last year’s uneven increases

Emmons County commissioners discussed preliminary budget guidance Tuesday, endorsing a 3% cost-of-living adjustment as a starting point and debating targeted step increases for a small number of employees they said received disproportionately low raises last year. Speaker 1, a committee member, said, "There were people that got screwed last year," and urged commissioners to identify two or three employees who "deserve more than 3% for two years."

The discussion centered on how steps and COLA compound. Speaker 3, a committee member, warned that giving both a COLA and additional steps can create large variations across departments and urged caution, saying, "When you do cost of living and then you're also increasing steps, that's where you're starting to create a lot of variation inside these departments."

Commissioners identified several employees by name during discussion as candidates for one-step increases for preliminary budgeting: Brad (budgeted at a 5-5 step), Josh (8-5), Amy (proposed at 6-9, debated because she is a 30-hour employee), Christina (9-4 to validate certification), and Wayne (6-3). Speaker 3 summarized a preliminary approach: "For budgetary purposes, we should see what Amy looks like at, like, a 6-8, 6-9," while adding that preliminary numbers can be reduced later if the budget strains.

Part-time proration was a recurring technical issue. Staff and commissioners debated whether to prorate step assignments for employees who do not work the full 37.5-hour week, using Amy’s longevity and part-time status as the illustrative case. Speaker 5, identified as a staff member, explained how prorating the step versus prorating salary affected the take-home pay and asked commissioners for direction on whether to pay her at a higher step without proration.

The board also reviewed longevity and eligibility language in the personnel appendix: longevity moves may allow step movement after the first three years and at two-year intervals thereafter, and commissioners noted some requests would still require formal approval. Speaker 1 asked staff to verify whether previous step increases had already been implemented for certain employees.

On process, commissioners agreed the preliminary budget should start with the 3% COLA baseline and room to adjust steps later. Speaker 3 framed the approach pragmatically: start “on the edge of the high side” in the preliminary so there is room to lower estimates later.

Administrative items ranged from permit approvals to mileage rates; the meeting closed with a request to entertain a motion to adjourn and an indication a second was made, though no formal recorded vote appears in the transcript. The commissioners directed staff to prepare preliminary numbers and notices based on the guidance given and to return with finalized preliminary budget figures at the next meeting.

The discussion was procedural guidance for the preliminary budget rather than a final, binding vote on raises or steps. The board left several items — notably whether part-time employees’ steps should be prorated and the exact COLA level if budget pressure grows — open for later action.