Financial meetings are finishing up this week in Platte County, as the commission is looking to establish the county government’s 2006 budget.
As reported in last week’s Landmark, Auditor Sandra Thomas is recommending a budget of $17,637,000, nearly a $1 million increase over the 2005 county budget.
As a part of that budget recommendation, Thomas indicated to The Landmark that county employees may receive a salary increase.
“The commission and I would like to give a raise for 2006, if we can find a way to do that,” said Thomas.
Second District Commissioner Jim Plunkett said the commissioners will begin to discuss the potential increase in salaries this week.
“We will begin talks and something will be negotiated back and forth over the next week or so,” stated Plunkett.
If commissioners decide to approve raises, approximately 270 county employees would receive the extra income.
Presiding Commissioner Betty Knight said the commission will work together to try to bring a raise to their employees.
“We are working very hard to make sure we have a salary increase for the employees. We’re trying to make those numbers work,” stated Knight on Monday, the same day the commissioners were crunching budget numbers with county’s officeholders.
Over the past three years, the Platte County Commission has included employee salary increases in its budget.
In 2005, commissioners approved a 1.5% increase in salary, and in 2004 and 2003, employees received a 3% raise.
Thomas presented the new proposed budget to the commission for review last week. Finalization and accepting the new budget by the county commission must be complete by Jan. 15.