County employee salary increase approved

County employees can look for a bump in their paycheck in the coming weeks after approval of a salary increase.

According to financial management Director Denise Elbell, the increase was approved for this year and will take effect on Dec. 13.

County commissioners had verified in October that employees were notified of a possible 4 percent salary increase for the coming year. The jump was credited to renegotiations in county health care contracts.

Health care for employees was headed for a 20 percent increase, Vice Chairman Chris Exarchos said at the time, but was renegotiated to about minus 4 percent.

Elbell confirmed that non-union employees will see an approximate 4 percent increase starting Dec. 13. Commissioners also approved a 2 percent raise for union employees, which will go into effect with the new union contract on Jan. 1.

The increase was determined with the current state budget impasse and county funds in mind, she said. Even if a budget were passed within the next week, the county still wouldn’t expect to receive state revenue for about four weeks.

“This was all calculated in October when the board said they wanted to do this,” she said.

Elbell said she’s calculating an amount the county could seek as a loan to carry it through the first quarter of the new year. The amount to borrow has not been decided yet but could reach $15 million to $20 million.

“I’ve been in touch with our bond council and am meeting today (Friday) with our controller and treasurer,” she said. “Once the calculations are completed, we’ll send that to the bond council to look over and make suggestions. We can then meet with the board, talk to banks and find some interest rates.”

The biggest portion of the county’s tax revenue comes in April, she said, totaling about $15 million.

Hopefully, she said, the state will have a budget by then.

This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 5:32 PM with the headline "County employee salary increase approved."