Eligible county employees will be getting regular pay raises this fiscal year though some remain furloughed or reassigned in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seeing better-than-expected tax income, elected officials lobbied the Teton County Board of County Commissioners to spend an additional $560,000 or so on 2.5% merit raises for qualifying full-time employees. Last week, it chose to do so.
“It’s hard to argue against that if you’re an employee,” Planning and Building Director Chris Neubecker said of the pay bumps. “Our employees worked tremendously hard, especially over the past year, and I appreciate the full consideration by the Board of County Commissioners.
“I’m very happy to hear that they’re taking care of their employees,” he said.
This spring the county projected a 50% decline in sales tax revenue, a foreboding prediction during a year made uncertain because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But a busy summer helped those numbers. It now looks like the county will avert that serious decline in sales tax collections, about 45% of the county’s budget. By Nov. 30 collections were off about 3% off compared to the year before: $10 million or so versus $10.3 million.
Because of the improved revenue outlook, the County Commission approved a mid-year budget amendment increasing expenditures by roughly $1.1 million for the 2021 fiscal year, which runs through June.
Included are the pay raises, $60,000 for coronavirus-related expenses not covered by the federal CARES Act, and $490,000 for other “priorities” departments requested.
A slew of smaller expenses were included in the “priorities” category: $4,000 for leadership training, $34,000 for police and paramedic training, $100,000 for housing programs and more.
The total budget amendment totaled roughly $3.9 million, in part because of an internal transfer and expenses for projects that began last fiscal year that weren’t billed until now.
Funds for employees who have been furloughed, laid off or reassigned were not, however, included in that total.
That means people like Mike Estes remain furloughed, though the reason isn’t all budgetary.
Estes has worked for Teton County for 24 years, and developed a number of recreational programs for Teton County/Jackson Parks and Recreation. He’s recently coordinating commercial use on the county-managed portion of the Snake River, which runs from the Wilson to South Park boat ramps. But he is now on a 12-week furlough, working as a maintenance technician while the department figures out how to handle his former position.
People like Estes’ daughter, Annie, have questioned where the extra money was when employees like her father were furloughed or laid off.
Parks and Rec Director Steve Ashworth said in an email that Estes was furloughed because of the “challenges of programming” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have had to make numerous tough decisions this year due to COVID, because of budgets and availability of meaningful work,” Ashworth wrote.
He added that Parks and Rec laid off five full-time employees in May, reduced its part-time staff by 85%, which equates to 17 full-time employees, and furloughed or reassigned to other departments four full-time staff members.
County Administrator Alyssa Watkins and Human Resources Director Julianne Fries were not able to confirm by press time how many other employees were in similar situations. In response to a request for additional information, Watkins recommended the News&Guide submit a records request. That request is now pending.
The commission did not require layoffs when it asked departments to trim their budgets this spring, which was about when the board opted out of the now-reinstated merit increases.
In the past week commissioners largely deferred questions about how to handle furloughed employees to department directors. Those officials typically make staffing decisions. The commission controls the purse strings.
“If they think they need these people back then I’m ready to bring them back,” Commissioner Mark Newcomb said, “but I just don’t know if they are still looking at levels of service that are impacted by COVID in some way that may make bringing furloughed staff back excessive.”
Commission Chairwoman Natalia Macker said in an email she was not interested in considering new positions unrelated to the pandemic until she saw a “full overview of our workforce status.” She went on to say the commission is trying to respond to individual departments’ needs, as well as the “wellbeing of the community” while “maintaining its fiduciary duties.”
“It is a complex web of considerations,” she wrote.
Commissioner Luther Propst said he would bring up the issue at a meeting next week.
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January 27, 2021 at 06:30PM
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County employees get raises, though some remain furloughed - Jackson Hole News&Guide
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