Though the new fiscal year for Carroll County does not officially begin until July 1, 2022, the departments are working on their individual budgets. Auditor, Kourtney Payer, told the Board of Supervisors the sooner the better when it comes to getting the department heads their budget worksheets. She requested direction on factoring wages and insurance rates prior to the union and compensation board agreements and recommendations. She did offer some insight.
Payer says they have been fortunate with their health insurance with a low number of claims over the past year, but they will still need to determine an estimated amount for budget development. Although nobody can predict what rates will do from year to year, there is one metric she uses to gauge their plan usage, which has some impact on their annual rates. Supervisor Rich Ruggles also weighs in on the stop loss.
Ruggles, says he would like to eliminate some of the back and forth, but understands the need to provide numbers up front. Payer says it is easier for them to change a percentage than to come back in and add it later.
Chair, Gene Meiners, agrees with keeping the estimated salary increases low, with an artificial number, so as not to have any undue influence on the process. These numbers, they all agree, are not set in stone until the wage rates are voted on and approved by the board at a future meeting. Supervisor, Dean Schettler, says he would like to see a compensation board workshop be held this budgeting season for their benefit. He believes it will help them through their own decision-making process. The board agrees they will use a 2.5 percent increase rate for calculation of wages with no increase for the high-deductible insurance plan and up to four percent for the low-deductible one. Again, the board stressed these are artificial numbers for placeholder calculations only.
