From the Johnson County Daily Journal:
County employees are set to get raises next year, but their office won’t be allowed to spend more money on equipment or other expenses.
Members of the Johnson County Council set their guidelines for how county department heads should develop their 2013 budgets.
The county is facing a nearly $500,000 shortfall after giving 2 percent raises to employees and spending more on utilities, health insurance and benefits, according to the county’s financial consultant.
That means that county department managers are being told not to increase spending this year, outside of raises for their employees, county council members said.
County employees haven’t had raises in at least three years. And officials thought the county should give raises after all counties across the state got an extra distribution of income tax collections due to a state error, since that money wasn’t expected, council member Ron West said.
In Johnson County, that extra distribution totaled $3.8 million, with $1 million going to county government.
The county still faces a shortfall but is in significantly better shape than officials had thought, West said. Previously, some estimates had shown the county could be facing a difference of nearly $3 million in 2013 between what was expected to be spent and brought in through tax collections.
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http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/local_story/Staff-will-get-raises-despite-_1342407835/
