The focus centered around employee wages, departmental funding and tax rates. County staff have proposed a 4% cost-of-living adjustment for all county employees. After discussion Monday, county commissioners reached consensus to exclude themselves from the COLA and address their compensation separately.
“If the commission feels that there’s a need to increase the salary, I would do it as a vote and come up with a number,” said Commissioner Merl Page. “I don’t want it built in, something that’s hidden in 50 some pages.”
Key changes in the budget include adjustments to departmental funding, such as moving a personal property clerk out of the appraiser’s office, adding a GIS technician, and shifting some fire supervisor costs to the consolidated fire fund.
