County Commissioners Include Raise For Courthouse Employees In 2020 Budget

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As part of their 2020 budget proposal, the Washita County Board of Commissioners approved a recommendation from the county Excise Board to provide pay increases to county employees working at the Washita County Courthouse.

The Excise Board, comprised of Jimmy Musick, Keith Weichel, and Jerry Burrows, voted to recommend a pay increase of $100 per month for all courthouse and sheriff’s office employees, except the first deputies in the court clerk’s office, the treasurer’s office, the county clerk’s office, and the assessor’s office. The first deputies will receive increases of $200 per month.

The Excise Board discussed the raises during their last two meetings, and voted to make the recommendation to the county commissioners at their July 6 meeting.

In the previous meeting, the board members heard from each of the county officers, who expressed the need for pay raises for their employees. The last time the county gave pay increases, according the County Clerk Kristen Dowell, was 2013.

The board members discussed the need to keep county pay rates competitive in order to increase morale and help reduce turnover in county jobs. They considered the amount of revenue the county carried over into fiscal year 2019-2020, which was $1,040,990, and the anticipated amount of carry-over into fiscal year 2020-2021, estimated at $1,068,812, before making the recommendation.

The commissioners discussed the excise board’s recommendations at their July 6 meeting, and voted to include it in their budget proposal. They also noted that should revenues fall, either this year or in the future, the raises may need to be recalled.

The budget is far from final at this point. From here, the commissioners’ budget numbers go to the county’s accounting firm, who will format the revenue and expenditure estimates into a formal budget once the county’s valuation comes back later this month. Once that is complete, the commissioners will make any required changes before submitting a final budget to the Excise Board for approval.