All Vanderburgh County employees will receive a two percent raise. The raises are a part of the county’s 2019 budget, which county council approved at a meeting Wednesday morning.
"We’re kinda thrilled to be able to do that," Councilman Jim Raben said. Raben is the council's finance chair. He said higher tax revenue and cost-cutting across county agencies helped pay for the salary increases.
"The department heads throughout Vanderburgh County," Raben said, "we challenge them every year. 'Hey, help us find cuts. Help us find ways to operate more efficiently.' Without their input and their help and submitting realistic budgets, we wouldn’t be able to do that."
He said the money will be a relief for county employees who have had to pay more for their health insurance.
This is the second year in a row county employees will notice more in their paycheck. Before that, Raben said they went about five years without a raise.