SWEETWATER COUNTY –– As the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners begins to grapple with lower projected revenue in its 2025-2026 budget, discussion around providing a cost of living allocation (COLA) to county employees came up during the commissioners meeting Tuesday.

The commissioners opted to use a 3% COLA as a starting point that can be changed depending on how the budget discussions progress. The county, like many other local governments throughout the state, are looking at decreased revenues from property tax-reducing bills that passed in the Wyoming Legislature.

The commissioners were given data reflecting how much COLAs ranging from 0-4% would impact the overall budget. Chairman Keaton West said 1% would result in an overall increase of approximately $200,000, with each additional percent increasing the total expenditure by about $200,000. West said the commissioners have time to decide if employees will receive a COLA and how they would grant it, but wanted to discuss the topic with the other commissioners 

Commissioner Robb Slaughter proposed a 3% COLA, which amounts to an additional $600,000 for employee salaries. He said the amount could be used as a placeholder as the commissioners work on the budget. Should the budget not support a 3% COLA, he said the amount could be changed. 

Slaughter said when he, West, and Island Richards were elected to the board, the group discussed COLAs and the inconsistency with how they had previously been handled. 

“One of the things that we discussed was trying to level that out over the life of our term as commissioners and I believe we’ve tried to do that,” Slaughter said.

He described the upcoming 2025-2026 budget as “extremely difficult” and said one thing he advocated for is setting aside funds for an employee benefit reserve for the situation the commissioners are looking at with the budget. Slaughter said he wants to continue with the commissioners’ initial intent, saying the employees are the number one asset.

Richards agrees with SLaughter’s proposal, saying the 3% is a good starting point. He said he wants to continue offering employees COLAs if the county can sustain it. He said staffing reductions throughout the county have created some savings in budgeted payroll expenses. 

“I do realize our revenue situation could be pretty scary this year, but I would rather make cuts in other places and take care of our employees,” he said.

West said he has concerns with if the commissioners can hold a 3% COLA through the budget process, but agrees with starting at the 3%.

“If we have to cut, we’ll cut,” West said.

Richards also cautioned other component agencies about adding 3% to their payrolls as part of their budget requests to the county. Richards said if the county is adding $600,000 to its payroll budget, the commissioners would likely have to cut. If they want to provide a similar COLA, he said those groups would need to make tough decisions in their budgets.

“We’re not just going to fund this out of the aether, it’s going to come from somewhere,” Richards said.