Polk County approves $3,000 step adjustment and $343,000 discretionary pool for FY2026 pay scale

Polk County Commissioners Court approved a pay-scale adjustment for FY2026 that includes a $3,000 flat increase to every step on the county pay scale and established a discretionary pool the court described in the meeting as $343,000 to be distributed by elected officials and department heads.

County staff reviewed recent pay actions dating to 2016 and outlined intermittent cost-of-living adjustments, health-premium changes and salary-survey-driven increases. The court stressed that discretionary funds are not a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and that department heads and elected officials decide how discretionary increases are allocated within their departments.

Court members and staff discussed longevity pay (previously capped at $1,200) and how the county has moved longevity payments to employees’ anniversary dates to allow staff to access funds before holidays. Staff said discretionary funding is allocated proportional to departmental personnel costs and that some departments—particularly the sheriff’s office, jail, IT and maintenance—carry higher baseline costs because of equipment, vehicle and building needs.

The pay-scale/order approving the $3,000 step increase and the discretionary fund line item was included in the FY2026 budget motion adopted by the court; the court voted in favor of adding the pay-scale change to the budget package, with distribution details to be finalized by the court and respective elected officials.

County staff also reported the county’s rising health-insurance cost per employee (reported in the meeting at $12,244 per person per year) and noted the county’s prior use of state grant funds (SB 22) to provide supplemental pay for certain law-enforcement positions; staff said SB 22 monies excluded dispatchers.

The court recorded motions to add the pay-scale item and discretionary pool to the adopted budget; staff will return with allocation details and the court said elected officials and department heads will allocate discretionary increases within departments.