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Commissioners set budget calendar, flag COLA discussion and wage‑study interplay
Summary
Staff presented a tentative budget schedule (department‑head training April 3; presentations May 26; first‑draft review June 12) and commissioners discussed how COLA choices intersect with step/merit raises from the existing wage study.
County staff outlined a tentative budget calendar: department‑head training with Scott Lloyd on April 3 (commissioners were asked not to attend), a full‑day department‑head presentation May 26, and an all‑day first‑draft budget review June 12. Staff asked commissioners to be prepared for full‑day sessions during the budget season.
Commissioners spent substantial time on compensation planning, discussing a potential COLA percentage and how it would combine with preexisting step increases and merit raises built into the Arnold Group wage study. Staff cautioned that COLA is applied across the board while step increases are merit‑based and occur on employee anniversary dates. Commissioners asked staff to obtain the wage‑study step percentages and to produce a forecast of payroll impacts for planning purposes. One commissioner noted the county’s payroll is roughly $3,000,000 and provided an example that a 2% COLA equals about $60,000 in base wages (excluding benefits).
Staff said they will email a tentative budget calendar to commissioners and gather the wage‑study details before a follow‑up discussion. The commission scheduled further budget direction sessions to provide department heads with clear guidance before April 3.
