Mobile County Budget Surplus Proposal for Employees

Posted on: Feb 19th, 2014 | News and Announcements

The Mobile County Commission today reported a surplus in its end-of-the-year budget and commissioners said they would vote on a proposal Monday to give the largest portion of it to county employees in pay and benefits. ?Our employees haven?t had a salary increase in seven years, but at same time their share of benefit costs have been increasing,? said Mobile County Commission President Merceria Ludgood. ?This gives us an opportunity to try to make them whole. It?s a way of letting them know that as funds become available, we will try to get wages up to pace with costs.? A $1.9 million carryover was squeezed out of the year-end 2013 budget and a proposal by county administration recommended using about $1.2 million for employee bonuses of $500 per person and to pay the first month?s premium payment of a new employee medical insurance policy. Mobile County employees will be switched to a new medical provider in April that is expected to save the county around $2 million a year compared to the current policy. But the switch will require employees to pay the premiums on the old and the new policies for the first month, as well as new medical deductibles. To ease the cost to employees of the changeover, county administration proposed the bonus to help defray the cost of the deductibles, and for the county to pay the first month?s medical premium on the new policy. The administration also suggested that another $350,000 could be provided to the Mobile County Sheriff?s Office to pay for increasing expenses at Metro Jail. ?One of my priorities when I got elected was to find resources to compensate the employees who serve the county,? said Mobile County Commissioner Jerry Carl. ?This opportunity came up and all the commissioners are united in supporting the use of this money for employees.? ?When we approved the budget this year, we let the employees know that if there were any available funds, we would try to help them with their needs,? said Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson. ?We have a great team of elected officials and department heads who have worked together to make this possible.? County officials last year increased the per diem for county employees from $5 to $10.