Dale commission budget includes employee pay raises

Pay increases for employees for the eighth consecutive year are in the 2020-2021 budget passed by the Dale County Commission at the meeting Sept. 22.

“In addition to the 3 percent pay increase, most every department got everything that they were asking for,” said Dale County Commission Chairman Mark Blankenship.

This is also the eighth consecutive year the county budget has also balanced “in the black,” said Dale County Administrator Cheryl Ganey.

“Last year the commission voted to increase the percentage the county pays for family health insurance coverage,” Ganey said. “The county now pays 75 percent of family health care coverage, up from 55 percent paid previously.”

The cost of employee health insurance has increased 5.5. percent. “The county pays 90 percent of single person coverage and 75 percent of family coverage,” she explained. “So the county does absorb most of the cost increase.”

A key item in the new budget is that Tier One retirement benefits for all employees are included, Ganey said. “The commission approved Tier One retirement benefits for all employee,” she explained. “The Tier Two employees—those that started participating in the retirement system after Jan. 1, 2013—will convert to Tier One retirement benefits beginning Oct. 1, 2021.”

Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson, Dale County Engineer Derek Brewer, Dale County Probate Judge Sharon Michalic and Dale County Revenue Commission Eleanor Outlaw each thanked the commission for their efforts in ensuring that an employee pay raise was included in the budget.

The next meeting of the Dale County Commission is Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the Dale County Government Building in Ozark. A work session begins at 10 a.m. and is followed immediately by a voting meeting. Both meetings are open to the public.