Most Porter County employees are set to get a three-percent pay raise, under the 2025 budget and salary ordinances approved by the county council Tuesday.
That was despite some concerns raised by Auditor Karen Martin. She worried that the Porter County Expo Center and a few other departments wouldn't be able to sustain the increases going forward. She was also concerned about funding availability for health insurance costs.
"It's not about appropriating the money. It's about funding it," Martin told council members.
Martin said her staff may have to look at various departments' budgets and bring adjustments to the council in January.
Additionally, a few county employees who were already set to get raises will apparently still get the three-percent raise on top of those, based on the wording of the council's motion earlier this month.
Council members revisited some alternatives Tuesday, like changing the raise to a one-time stipend or excluding elected officials. But council member Red Stone felt it was too late to reverse the decision.
"There was reasons why I did not vote for the three-percent raise, but I'm going to tell you something right now: You give a three-percent raise, you give a three-percent raise," Stone said.
Council members later voted to exclude the new county health officer from the pay raise, since he'd recently negotiated a $75,000 salary with the county.
