Inflation and rising medical costs are hitting Montgomery County as commissioners gear up to work on a $419 million preliminary budget for 2024.
Commissioners got their first look at the budget which is almost a 6 percent increase from the $397.7 million budget for 2023.
Budget Officer Amanda Carter said the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is seeing the biggest increase, climbing $7 million from the current budget and commissioner budgets increasing from $9 million to $11 million.
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“This makes sense,” Carter said the commissioner budgets. “As those (2015) road bond monies draw down we still have projects to do.”
Carter said the budget includes a 2.5 percent cost of living raise for employees.
“We feel like a COLA is still something that needs to be done in the county,” Carter said. “Overall, inflation is still a factor for employees.”
The county will need between $51-$53 million to cover its medical plan. Carter said the county has contributed $47 million but will need to find additional funding.
“It needs to come out of the tax rate,” said Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack, who also said he didn’t want to use the county fund balance to cover the shortfall. “Unfortunately, medical costs are going up and up.”
Carter said 88 new positions were requested countywide, most of those in the sheriff’s office. She said more than $5 million in capital improvement requests also were made.
“You’re going to have a little balancing act,” Carter said.
The court’s budget workshops start Aug. 8 and will continue through Aug. 11.
