In the final meeting of 2022, the Uintah County Commission approved salary and benefit raises within the county. A special Commission meeting was called on December 27th in order to get the final budget for 2023 approved before the year’s end.
Budget Officer Mark Caldwell presented the budget with adjustments from the preliminary budget. The first item he spelled out was a salary and benefit adjustment in the amount of $1,919,673 dollars to provide raises of $2 per hour across the board for Uintah County employees, not including elected officials.
Another large ticket item in the final budget was the purchase of 5 new trucks for the road department and the buy out of 8 road graters for $1.2 million dollars and $1.4 million dollars. Commissioner Horrocks noted during the meeting his belief that they will be able to secure grant money up to 50 percent from the CIB to help pay for the trucks and graters.
The Commission tabled the agenda item regarding elected officials’ salaries with the Commissioners having already approved a raise for Uintah County Attorney Jaymon Thomas during the December 19th meeting to bring his salary to a rate comparable to similar sized counties. Commissioner Stringer emphasized that their research concluded that Uintah County salaries for elected officials is “still quite high” and Commissioner Horrocks, the only one of the Commission to continue serving into 2023, said he preferred to table the item. An exception to this during the December 27th meeting was that the Commissioners did approve by Resolution a $2 per hour raise for Sheriff Steve Labrum.
