The Hamilton County Board of Supervisors approved the Fiscal Year 2018 budget including a 2.5 percent wage increase Tuesday morning following a public hearing on the matter.

Supervisors David Young and Dan Campidilli outlined the major points in the budget. Supervisor Doug Bailey was absent.

“Every budget year brings challenges and changes,” said Young, board chairman. “And this certainly was an interesting one.”

Young said the budget process begins by looking at how much new money will be available.

“We always start off back from the assessor’s office through the auditor’s office with how much money we will have — hopefully it’s more than we had the year before — without doing any changes to the levies,” he said.

“There was very little increase in valuation, but because the state allowed more of that valuation to be taxed, we ended up with some new money, about $350,000,” he said.

Young said the general fund levy and the rural levy are at the same rate as the previous year. The general fund levy is at the maximum allowed, according to Young. But changes were made to the general supplemental levy.

“In the last five years, we’ve maintained the general supplemental at the same amount or less. But this year we did increase the general supplemental by $.28 per thousand,” he said. “I wanted to be upfront about that.”

General supplemental fund is what pays for employee health benefits, IPERS, emergency management funds and Area 5 HazMat.

The mental health levy was reduced by $.02 per thousands, the rural levy and the general fund levy will remain at the same amount, he said. That combination of funds will generate about $200,000 in new money.

For specific departments, Young said that Conservation tax dollars will remain the same as the previous year, $327,674, bringing their total budget to $1,914,992. Public Health tax dollars will increase $40,000 from 2017 bringing that total budget to $1,509,890.

“Public Health is under severe budgetary constrictions with the new health insurance companies,” he said, explaining that the department often receives as little as $.60 to $.70 on the dollar in reimbursement.

The sheriff’s department will see about $100,000 more this year, and the jail will see a similar increase.

The supervisors pointed out that property and liability insurance for the county saw a 15 percent increase for 2018 and the county’s workman’s compensation premiums went up 15 percent.

The county’s health insurance premiums went up 9.89 percent for single plans and 9.94 percent for family coverage. Young said the county pays 85 percent of the single plans and 50 percent of family plans for employees.

The budget also includes a 2.5 percent wage increase for secondary roads, CPC and non-union employees. Deputies will receive $50 per hour increases, while jail and dispatch personnel have $.40 increases and Public Health workers, $.25 per hour. The new county engineer, Nicole Stinn, will receive a 5 percent salary increase, and the IT department will receive 2 percent raises.

Young said the county compensation board met in January and recommended 2.5 percent across the board wage increases for elected officials. The salary increases are as follows: auditor would increase from $60,028.65 to $62,529.37; county attorney from $75,708.55 to $77,601.26; recorder from $58,103.76 to $59,556.35; sheriff, from $77,768.97 to $79,713.19; supervisors, from $39,612.20 to $40,602.51; and treasurer, $58,778.33 to $60, 247.79.

Young also provided those present with a graph that outlines the distribution of county property tax dollars. For those living in Webster City, 40.3 percent to the City of Webster City; 35.9 percent to Webster City schools; 13.7 percent to the county; 5.09 percent to Van Diest Medical Center; 1.60 percent to the county assessor and 3.36 percent to Ag Extension, Iowa Central Community College and other entities.