Nelson County board adopts 3.5% COLA to match state for constitutional and county employees

The Nelson County board voted to apply a 3.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for state-supported constitutional office positions and county employees after the state adopted a 3.5% COLA effective Aug. 1, 2026.

A county staff presenter outlined that the county had budgeted a 2% COLA in its FY27 budget (effective July 1) based on earlier information, but the state later adopted 3.5% for state-supported offices effective Aug. 1. The presenter said this creates equity and administration issues when employees doing similar work would receive different raises. Staff provided two options and calculated the net local cost difference: approving a full 3.5% for constitutional office employees and county employees effective Aug. 1 resulted in a net local cost of about $25,097, with a $22,691 difference between the two options.

A motion to adjust the employee salary adjustment benefit to option 2 — 3.5% for all employees — was moved and seconded. The board conducted a roll-call vote and adopted resolution R2026-59 selecting option 2.

The county staff presentation said the 3.5% applies to state-supported constitutional office positions and is effective Aug. 1, 2026, and that the FY27 budget had originally included 2% effective July 1. The board discussed timing issues tied to the biennium budget and the administrative implications of staggered effective dates between contract cycles and fiscal-year actions.

The resolution passed on roll-call; the meeting record shows affirmative votes from the named roll call. Staff indicated the chosen option will be reflected in the agenda item and resolution numbering (R2026-50 and R2026-59) and that staff will proceed to implement the selected option.