The Salt Lake County Council in December approved a 2019 budget that former Mayor Ben McAdams believes rewards employees who have remained with the county.
Changes that will benefit employees include:
- 2 percent salary structure adjustment (in response to job market changes)
- 3 percent across-the-board pay increase for eligible employees
- $3.4 million in compensation set aside for sworn officers to manage recruitment and retention
- $4 million set aside for pay compression (not including benefits, this number will end up increasing)
- modest increases to some health insurance premiums
- Traditional PPO Plan: 6.5 percent increase due to rising pharmaceutical costs and to solidify ESR reserves; no change to the “80/20” split will be made
- High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP): no increase
The Utah Public Employees’ Association (UPEA) supporting McAdams’ budget proposal. Staffers spoke before the county council in support of the budget shortly after McAdams unveiled it on Oct. 23.
“Salt Lake County employees are some of the most talented in the valley,” McAdams said at the time, thanking employees who have stayed with the county despite hard times. He characterized aspects of his proposal as a reward for county employees’ loyalty and patience.
McAdams in December resigned as county mayor after being elected to represent Utah’s 4th District in Congress. The Utah Democratic Party will choose a candidate to serve the rest of the mayoral term and there will be an official election in 2020. Shireen Ghorbani and County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson are running to replace McAdams.