Cape Co. Commission OKs small pay raise for employees

Most Cape Girardeau County government employees will receive a small pay raise this year as part of the 2018 budget approved Thursday by the county commission.

Elected officeholders will not receive a pay raise, officials said.

Commissioners voted to approve a $500 increase in compensation, which covers pay and benefits, for full-time employees. Part-time employees will receive a 25-cent-an-hour pay raise. County Auditor Pete Frazier said the increased compensation for employees will increase county expenses by more than $118,000 in the fiscal year that began Jan. 1.

Sheriff John Jordan said full-time employees in his department only will receive a $500 increase if they earn "above standard" evaluations. "I don't want to reward mediocrity," Jordan told commissioners.

Frazier said after the meeting that the sheriff's department is the only department of county government that has implemented a system of merit pay.

As a result, some sheriff's department employees will not receive pay increases and others may receive less than $500, Frazier said.

Second District Associate Commissioner Paul Koeper proposed the raise in pay for employees.

He indicated that the county could afford it. "We do have a pretty healthy balance," Koeper said.

Budget figures estimate the county will have combined fund balances of more than $2.6 million.

As for officeholders, state statutes lay out certain guidelines for salary increases and cost-of-living adjustments, according to the auditor.

The county's salary commission, comprised of elected county government officeholders, meets every two years. The commission's policy allows officeholders to receive the same percentage increase given employees, up to 3.5 percent, Frazier said.

But since the county commission did not approve a percentage increase in compensation this year, officeholders are not entitled to a pay raise under the salary commission policy, Frazier said.

At Thursday's meeting, the county commission unanimously approved a spending plan of more than $24.7 million for the 2018 year plus the additional cost associated with the increased compensation.

The budget is based on projected revenue of more than $27 million, according to figures provided by Frazier.

"The operating costs and our sources of income have remained relatively steady for last year and I project a similar trend for 2018," Frazier wrote in his budget message to the commission.

The general revenue fund appropriation totals more than $12.8 million, which covers most operations of county government.

County expenses for 2018 include $200,000 in increased costs associated with conducting elections, Frazier said.

Road and bridge fund operations are budgeted for $3.4 million.

The Proposition One sales-tax fund lists projected expenses of more than $7 million, including more than $4 million that will be allocated to other local governments.

More than $1 million is appropriated for the county's assessment fund services, according to budget records.

Frazier said the budget does not project any increases in sales-tax revenue. He stressed that is a conservative estimate, and a slight increase in sales-tax revenue could occur.

The budget projects that the general fund sales tax will generate more than $7.3 million in revenue.

Cape Girardeau County government also expects to garner about $1 million this year in revenue from its use tax, which is levied on out-of-state purchases.

But under the use-tax measure approved by voters, that money can be used solely for capital improvements, Frazier said.

The use-tax revenue is not detailed in the operating budget, he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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