Raises in works?

Commissioners weigh idea; budget has $4.3M in new revenue after last year’s gross receipts tax increase

Cost-of-living increases under consideration for county workers.

Santa Fe County commissioners on Wednesday evaluated a proposed $114 million budget for the next fiscal year that reflects slight base revenue growth and an additional $4.3 million as a result of a 2017 gross receipts tax increase, with upticks estimated for most departments, including fire, sheriff and community services.

In a study session, commissioners reviewed budget priorities and how they might parcel out $2.56 million in surplus revenue available for expansion. Staff recommendations for that chunk included cost-of-living adjustments for county workers, pay raises that could come out of negotiations with the corrections and fire unions, new wildland firefighter positions — and a tiny sliver for potential pay increases for elected officials.

While they didn’t take any formal action, commissioners said they liked the shape of the recommended expenditures.

“I feel like we’re heading in a good direction,” said Commissioner Anna Hansen.

The county’s four largest departments — corrections, public works, fire and sheriff, in order — would all see marginal increases in the proposed 2019 budget, which the county must finalize and submit to the state by July.

Erika Lovato, the county budget administrator, pointed to consecutive year-over-year budget increases for both fire services (up 3 percent to $15.4 million in the 2019 proposal) and the sheriff ’s office (up under 1 percent to $12 million).

“Our public safety sector has shown continuous growth,” she said.

The additional $4.3 million gross receipts tax revenue, which derives from a one-eighth-cent increase approved by commissioners last year, will fund 56 new full-time budgeted employees brought on during the current fiscal year, most in public safety and community services, as well as the development of a new county behavioral health center.

Some $1.5 million had been budgeted, County Manager Katherine Miller said, “for getting that center complete and operational.”

Hansen said she wanted to continue talks with U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján about restoring a federal grant to fix a small estimated dip in the county housing budget. “If we’re going down, I’d like to see us go back up,” she said.

Miller said the county does anticipate some $700,000 from Washington in payment in lieu of taxes, a form of compensation for federal land within county borders on which property taxes are not

paid but for which the county government does provide fire and road services. The proposed budget Wednesday showed $300,000 would be put toward both affordable housing and economic development, with the other $100,000 to supplement solid waste fees.

Commissioners, in finalizing the budget in coming weeks, also have a decision to make about whether they’ll hike the salaries of county elected officials. Gov. Susana Martinez this year signed into law new pay ceilings for county officeholders; any increases would take place when the next term for each office begins.

Miller offered commissioners two options: one that would increase the salaries of commissioners, the sheriff, county clerk, assessor and probate judge by 7 percent by 2021; another that would phase in the raise by a total of 13 percent by 2021. “Truthfully, these are not huge amounts,” Miller said.