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Commissioners drop extra coordinator raises; stick with 2% COLA after equity pushback
Summary
Potter County commissioners debated a requested 5% pay increase for court coordinators on top of a proposed 2% county COLA, with some elected officials citing new reporting mandates; after extended discussion commissioners directed only the 2% COLA be included in the preliminary budget.
A lengthy exchange at the Aug. 12 workshop centered on a proposal to add a 5% increase specific to court coordinators in addition to the countywide COLA. District and county elected officials argued coordinators face new, unfunded reporting responsibilities from the Office of Court Administration (OCA) and other mandates; others said singling out one job class would be unfair to other county employees.
"There's been some significant unfunded mandates," the district attorney told the court while explaining why court coordinators' workloads have increased and why some offices sought extra pay beyond a COLA. After extensive debate and concerns about equity, the judge directed staff to remove the additional targeted increases and leave a 2% COLA in place for most departments in the preliminary budget.
Why it matters: the exchange highlighted tensions between responding to new statutory reporting burdens and maintaining countywide pay equity given limited fiscal room; the court’s decision to retain only the 2% COLA shapes the starting point for amendments before the Aug. 24 hearing.
