Miami Co. workers set to get 2-percent pay raise

Kokomo Tribune (IN)

Oct. 09--PERU -- Miami County employees are set to get a pay raise for the fourth year in a row after officials say the county has saved more than $5.5 million in health insurance costs since 2015.

Every worker, including sheriff's deputies, will receive a 2 percent pay increase next year as part of the county's 2019 budget. The raises will cost the county in total $145,500.

With the raise next year, county employees will have received a 9 percent pay increase since 2016, when the county council approved a 2 percent raise. That was followed by another 2 percent raise in 2017 and 3 percent increase this year.

Auditor Mary Brown said the pay increases are only possible because the county switched to a new insurance provider in 2015 in an effort to control the ballooning cost of employee medical coverage that had pushed the county over budget for years. Since then, the provider has saved taxpayers more than $5.5 million over the last four years.

"A lot of employees have not been a fan of the insurance, but it's been black and white on paper," Brown said. "We've saved millions since we've switched."

Miami County Council President Ethan Manning said since the county's health costs have gone down, the council has decided to pass some of those savings on to employees through the pay raises.

"If we had to spend between $1 million and $1.5 million more a year on insurance, there is no way we would have been able to give 9 percent in pay raises over four years," he said. "I think it's a real accomplishment that we've been able to do that."

Brown said the county has saved so much on insurance costs the Miami County Board of Commissioners approved a "premium holiday" for employees this month, which means they don't have to pay their insurance premium for October. That will save workers in total $12,000, she said.

"I'm really excited we were able to do this," Brown said. "I'm glad the county was able to do something to give back to the employees. ... It's pretty cool to see the changing tide from pinching pennies to giving pay raises. It feels like we're moving forward."

Manning said besides the 2 percent pay raise next year, the council has also increased the salary of some workers even more. The director of the county's soil and water conservation program, for example, is set to receive a $4,000 increase.

He said for the last few years, the council has been comparing the salaries of Miami County workers with other counties' salaries, and increasing the pay of those positions that are below the state average in an effort to stay competitive and keep good employees.

"We want to keep good people who are doing a good job, so when it's demonstrated to the council that person is providing a lot of value and we can see from other counties that we're not paying them at an appropriate level, it's a good argument for increasing their salary," he said.

The county council is set to make a final vote on next year's budget during their regular meeting on Wednesday.

Carson Gerber can be reached at 765-854-6739, [email protected] or on Twitter @carsongerber1.

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