Leon County employees are going to get a 5% raise this year. The County commission approved the move Tuesday by a slim 4 to 3 margin.
Commissioner Brian Welch opposed the raises. With Republicans in the state legislature discussing removing or reducing property taxes soon, he thinks the raises could soon become a burden.
“I think that while we may have the money now, we all acknowledge that we very likely won't have it next year, or the year after that, or the year after that,” he said. “There is very likely going to be cuts in the amount of money we collect here, which means that will have to translate somehow to the workforce, which is our biggest expense.”
County Commissioner Carolyn Cummings supported the raises, arguing county employees have earned them.
“We should reward our county employees while we can because we might be in more dire straits next year,” she said. “We are anticipating some hard times, but right now, with inflation at the level that it is, I think all of our employees deserve a raise, and we're not just giving it to them. They've earned a raise.”
This will be the fourth year in a row that county employees have received a 5% pay increase.