The Boone County Fiscal Court unanimously passed a budget with 6% raises for all staff and the sheriff’s department beginning July 1.
The $243 million budget was originally designed to include a 3% raise on July 1, and then merit-based raises after performance reviews were completed in the fall. Commissioner Jesse Brewer said with rising inflation, he felt it would be better to lump the two raises together.
The Fiscal Court asked Col. Les Hill, of the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, to weigh in on whether these raises are needed at Tuesday’s fiscal court meeting. To paint a clear picture, he compared the starting salaries of their department to Florence’s Police Department.
“With us, right now our starting salary is $52,000,” Hill said. “You can go to Florence and the starting salary is $59,000. For lieutenants, our starting salary is $79,000. Their starting salary for lieutenants is $97,000. So yes, we would appreciate anything.”
Brewer added that Boone County’s dispatch center is understaffed, giving more reason why these raises are necessary.
“When I call 9-1-1, I want someone to answer,” Brewer said.
The county typically bases its raises on Kentucky Occupational License Association numbers, according to Judge/Executive Gary Moore, and “for years” it has done raises on merit rather than giving boosts across the board. But with inflation at 8.6% in May, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Brewer and Moore said it may be time to make an exception.
“This way we still have another full year to really assess the inflation situation and cost of living, and we can make appropriate adjustments next year,” Brewer said.
The cost of boosting salaries by 6% and including the sheriff’s department in those raises is an additional $405,000, according to County Administrator Jeff Earlywine.
Moore said the budget was originally designed without any tax increases, which are set in August. With this recent change, he worried that a tax increase may be necessary, but Earlywine reassured him and the audience that this was something that could be supported by the county’s reserve.
Earlywine said they are required to have 25% of their total budget in a reserve account. According to the drafted budget, available at the county’s website, Boone County has more than $36.4 million in reserve funds.
After voting unanimously to approve the budget, the court added that reviews will still be conducted in September, noting that managers of county offices use the reviews to identify goals and expectations for staff during the year.