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Court discusses 5% raises, new salary scale and $1M reserve allocation during budget workshop
Summary
During an extended budget workshop the judge proposed a 5% across‑the‑board raise (estimated ~$250k) using expected surplus and LATCF funds, a new midpoint salary schedule aimed to favor lower‑paid staff, and earmarking $1 million from reserves for road/bridge, contingency, and capital projects; the court asked staff to return with a revised balanced budget.
Judge Hennington led a detailed budget workshop focused on staffing costs, reserves and capital priorities. The judge outlined a $2,000 preliminary deficit in the draft budget but proposed several net changes: a 5% general pay increase (estimated at roughly $250,000 including benefits), adoption of a new salary scale based on midpoints to give proportionally larger percentage increases to lower‑paid employees, and a proposal to restrict $1,000,000 of reserves into three allocations: $300,000 for road & bridge, $100,000 as a general contingency, and $600,000 into a capital projects fund.
"So to give it 5% increase will cost about $250,000 to the county," the judge said during the workshop, and added that if tax valuations shift upward when certified later in the month the court might have more revenue flexibility. He told the court he would revise the budget and return in two weeks with a balanced budget that includes the proposed 5% increase and the reserve allocations.
Commissioners and staff discussed options for covering the raises (using anticipated surplus, LATCF funds or other line‑item adjustments), concerns about recurring operating costs and the need to keep grant and PILT assumptions conservative. Finance staff signaled ongoing work to move grants accounting into the ENCODE system to avoid audit findings and to continue finalizing the budget in August.
The court did not adopt the final budget during this session but directed staff to prepare updated budget documents reflecting the 5% raise scenario and proposed reserve earmarks for the next meeting.
