Council whittles 2013 budget: 3% county staff pay hikes raise concerns

BROWNSTOWN

Jackson County Council members spent the better part of Wednesday whittling nearly $575,000 in general fund budget requests for 2013.

When the shavings settled at the end of a nearly seven-hour session, next year’s budget of $11,268,335 was just several thousand dollars under projected revenue in 2013.

At least one council member expressed his concerns that it wasn’t enough of a cushion.

“I think we need to have more,” Brian Wheeler said during the meeting in the county extension office conference room.

He suggested the council reconsider the idea of giving county employees a 3 percent pay raise.

Council member Brian Thompson said the council could still make budget cuts through Oct. 17, when the budget comes up for final adoption.

Earlier in the day, council member Greg Prange said he also had concerns about the pay increase.

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