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County council adopts 2024 budget; includes raises for employees, elected officials

By Lucas González

Posted October 18, 2023

(From left) Monroe County Council members Cheryl Munson, Marti Hawk, Trent Deckard, Kate Wiltz, Jennifer Crossley and Peter Iversen. (Courtesy of Community Access Television Services (CATS))

The Monroe County Council has adopted a county budget for 2024.

Council members approved five ordinances that make up the more than $132 million government budget at a Tuesday meeting.

It was the culmination of weeks of budget hearings, which began in September.

Next year’s budget reflects mostly incremental changes to county funds. However, its Major Bridge, Health and Cumulative Capital Development funds will receive slightly less investment in 2024 than what was approved for this year.

Council members passed the Monroe County Fire Protection District and Solid Waste Management budgets separately.

The council also approved 8.5 percent raises for county employees and elected officials based on the increased cost of living.

Council members expressed support for the raises during budget hearings. Marti Hawk was the only member who voted against the raises for elected officials.

She cited a lack of information as her reason for voting against it.

“We really are not finished with the salary ordinance; we’re going to be voting on it today, but we don’t have the final numbers,” Hawk said. “We started out hearing from the commissioners, ‘Well, everybody can have eight and a half.’ Then we heard at that very first (budget meeting), ‘Oh, no, we’re going to be way in the deficit (…) this was just too much rolling, changing information.”

The county commissioners recommended the 8.5 percent raises for county employees ahead of the council’s budget hearings.

Hawk supported giving raises to county employees, making the vote on that ordinance unanimous.

Council member Peter Iversen called the raises proof of the county’s commitment to its employees.

“The 2024 budget is a reaffirmation that Monroe County’s greatest strength is its people,” Iversen said. “We set an ambitious goal, and together, we achieved it. Sacrifices were made, priorities were postponed, but the greater good was accomplished, and our county will be better for it.”

During budget discussions, the council adopted recommendations from the Justice Fiscal Advisory Committee, a group of officials tasked with outlining budgetary needs for a new county jail.

Iversen said those recommendations don’t currently have any fiscal impact but called the council’s acceptance of the group’s recommendations a step in the right direction for the jail.

A few members of the local advocacy group Care Not Cages — which opposes building a new jail — spoke during a period of public comment.

However, the council noted that the 2024 budget does not allocate money for the construction of a new jail.

County leaders are still deciding on a location for the facility. However, they are researching the former Thomson property on Bloomington’s southwest site as a potential future home of a new jail.