Outagamie County $361 million 2024 budget funds 3% wage increase for all employees
APPLETON - The Outagamie County Board on Monday approved a $361.9 million 2024 budget that includes a minimum 3% wage increase for county employees to help retain and attract employees during a time of high turnover.
Uncompetitive wages and pandemic-induced stress caused the county to lose an average of one employee a day in 2022, former Deputy Director of Human Resources Justin Kluesner told The Post-Crescent last year.
The board passed the final budget 32-1 with board member Steve Thiede opposing.
The salary increase comes after a recent study by McGrath Human Resources Group found 60% of county positions pay uncompetitive wages compared to similar private and public sector jobs.
Starting Dec. 17, all full-time county employees will be placed onto a 10-step wage structure with each full-time employee's salary moving up at least 3% to get on the structure, ensuring everyone has an average or competitive market wage.
To ensure the county had enough to fund the wage increase next year, the board amended the budget and created a $805,000 structural deficit to cover the increase. The money will come out of the county's general funds.
Here are some other highlights of the Outagamie County's 2024 budget.
How much is the county spending?
The budget totals $361.9 million. That's down 14.6% from the 2023 adopted budget.
The tax levy necessary to support the budget is $67.5 million — a 2.42% increase from last year.
Part of the budget decrease is attributed to a steep drop in the Appleton International Airport's budget from $103 million in 2023 to $45 million in 2024. The airport's budget is decreasing as its $66.5 million expansion project, which began this year, is mostly funded through 2023.
While the airport is a significant part of the county's budget, it is a self-funded department and not typically supported by the county tax levy so its expenses don't affect property taxes
What's it going to cost me?
The owner of an average $254,326 home would pay $739.43 in property taxes for the county next year. That does not include property taxes from cities or school districts.
That's a $14.65 increase from 2023 as the average home value rose 13.5% in the last year.
The tax rate that property owners will pay will drop 10.13%, going from $3.23 per each $1,000 of assessed value in 2023 to $2.90 per each $1,000 in the coming year.
When am I going to get the bill?
The property tax bills will be mailed out the first two weeks of December.
How is the county spending its remaining COVID-19 relief funds?
The county received $36.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to be used by the end of 2024.
Next year's county budget allocated $4.6 million of its remaining money under the lost revenue funds, to pay for projects including:
$1 million toward Appleton International Airport's concourse expansion project.
$100,000 to purchase a medical van and pay a driver to assist Brewster Village residents in accessing health care.
$683,000 to purchase rescue and tactical operations vehicle and other supplies for the sheriff's office.
$488,000 toward the county's cover crop program which works with farmers to plant cover crops to improve soil.
MORE: Appleton school district will increase tax levy by 5% as cost of voucher program jumps 33%
Sophia Voight is a local government and politics reporter with The Post-Crescent. She can be reached with tips and feedback at svoight@postcrescent.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Outagamie County approves 2.4% increase in tax levy in 2024 budget
