Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners debate how to distribute raises: step increases vs. county‑wide COLA
Summary
Commissioners questioned whether to give step increases to some employees while applying COLA to others, with staff calling differential treatment administratively complex and one commissioner urging that elected officials receive the same COLA as employees.
The board discussed multiple wage scenarios presented by Colleen, including step increases for eligible employees and a county‑wide cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA). Colleen showed cost estimates for combinations of COLA and step adjustments and the county cost for each option.
One commissioner asked whether the county could give step increases to some employees and a separate COLA to others and said it would be unfair if certain lines (administrator, sheriff, state's attorney) were excluded from the COLA. Staff cautioned that differential treatment could be complex to implement. "I don't know if it's legal. It'd be a nightmare," Colleen said when the question was raised.
Commissioners noted the per‑percentage cost: the staff presentation estimated roughly $211,000 per percentage point for a raise, with 3% costing about $634,000 in total. The board acknowledged any raise choice would increase the size of required cuts to meet the cap and asked staff to show net budget impacts for several raise scenarios at the next meeting.
