Wash. County approves FY2025 Budget

During a scheduled county budget public hearing, a handful of citizens submitted comments in opposition to county employees receiving a 4 percent wage increase in the upcoming 2024-2025 fiscal year.

 A former commissioner, Kirk Chandler, entered his opposition to the pay increases. Referring to wage increases over the past two years at 7 percent, and 4 percent, and to a recent article in the Signal American, he said Weiser Memorial Hospital’s community health needs assessment was reported to find that Washington County has the highest percentage of residents living below 200 percent of the federal poverty level and the lowest median income in the greater Treasure Valley.

 “The largest percentage of the population is 65 or older,” Chandler said. “Those that are 65 or older are all on fixed incomes. They’re living mostly off of social security, which hasn’t seen an increase of 15 percent in the last three years.

 “So, the farmers and ranchers in the area, you know their products have not been, you know, over the last several years, have not seen increases like this, and, but everybody’s costs have gone up at least double on everything they’re buying, and we don’t have the ability to just raise our wages.”

 Midvale resident, Mike Kaech, said he agreed with Chandler.

 “I have to agree with Kirk on what he said up here,” Kaech said. “Uh, wages aren’t … people in the county aren’t making any money. Well, we’re making money. We’ve got this, we’ve got that. Doing all kinds of different stuff. But that 7 percent, 4 percent, and 4 percent … that’s quite a step up and I think they could curb it a little, you know. I don’t see not giving them any raise or nothing, but I think they should curb it.” 

 “I don’t believe all department heads need 4 percent after getting more than 7 percent the last couple of years,” Carolyn Kiesz, Midvale, submitted via Zoom. “I would much prefer if the county were to review salaries on the basis of merit.”

 Kiesz said she doesn’t believe salaries in Washington County generally come close to what county employees are paid.

 “In the private sector we had to qualify for increases based on our work product,” Kiesz said. “Wages were not increased simply because we were present at work, nor were we provided increases because inflation was high. We earned it, plain and simple.”

 With no other comments offered, Commissioner Nate Marvin said his background in public works underscores his belief that employees are the county’s best asset. Pointing out the competition for retaining employees from other sectors, both private and public, Marvin said, “The prison is always taking our sheriff’s deputies. So, I still think we need to take care of our employees,” he said. “It costs a lot if you have to train them, if you’re constantly rotating people out, it costs a lot of money to get them (new hires) brought up to speed, where you can send them out to patch a hole in the road, put them out in a vehicle, or sheriff’s office vehicle to take care of crime in our county.”

 Commissioner Gordon Wilkerson supported Marvin’s view, saying, in part, “Continuity is a very important part of getting production done, and when you have to change employees there’s a timeframe, not only in monetary value, but things can come to a standstill before they can get going again and find its legs. And we’re finding in our sheriff’s office, in our R&B department, more direct competition from the prison systems, other law enforcement agencies, Knife River Construction, you name it, we train, they get ‘em.”

 Echoing the other commissioners, chairman Lyndon Haines said the county’s employees are their greatest asset.

 “We lose them all the time and we can’t compete with private enterprise and what private enterprise pays,” he said. “I work in private enterprise, as well, so I’m a pastor of a church, so I don’t exactly make a ton of money doing that, but I knew what I got myself into when I did that. It’s good health insurance that the county offers, but health insurance doesn’t put food on the table. PERSI doesn’t put food on the table. We can’t compete. 

 “Construction jobs at the other end of the valley are probably more or two times what we’re paying somebody at Road and Bridge, so we have to try to give them something they can at least live on, and something a little more,” Haines added. “That’s why we came to the 4 percent increase. I know it can sound like a lot to people, but if we don’t have our people, what are we?”

 Haines moved to close the hearing with a second from Wilkerson, and a unanimous vote to approve the county’s 2024-25 budget in the amount of $20,012,451.