NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County supervisors and their chief administrator said they can’t afford to give pay raises to county employees after a financial review shows various expenditures are quickly eating up incoming revenues.
“We don’t have anything to work with,” said county Administrator Angie King, who noted county departments have been spending too much money not knowing whether it’s in the budget. “They ate it up.”
“There are a lot of negative numbers in our budget. We should never have that,” King told the county board Monday.
She also noted costly spikes in county-provided health insurance for employees are taking large chunks of the budget.
The Board of Supervisors last month had asked King to review the county’s budget to determine if it can afford pay raises for employees. The board began the fiscal year in October projecting a total annual budget of about $33 million. Supervisors adopted the budget then with a stipulation that pay raises could be forthcoming later in the year if the money is there.
“We can’t do it if the county administrator says it’s not there, but you know I’m all for raises,” said board President Angela Hutchins.
Supervisors acknowledged many county workers are underpaid – especially those in the road department. Road Manager Robbie Dollar has been pleading with county supervisors for months to increase his workers’ wages as several are quitting for higher pay elsewhere.
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