The Lake County fiscal year 2025 budget includes 5% raises for non-union employees, raises the minimum salary for county employees and increases county reserve funds.
The Lake County Council gave initial approval Tuesday to the 2025 budget in a 5-0 vote with council members Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, and Randy Niemeyer, R-Cedar Lake, absent.
“Fiscal responsibility is our main objective when handling taxpayers’ dollars. I believe this board has proven that throughout the years. We also want to be competitive with private business to retain our employees, and I think with our salaries and our benefits package we can begin to be very competitive,” said Council president Christine Cid, D-East Chicago.
All non-union employees are projected to receive a 5% raise, said Lake County Council’s financial director Scott Schmal. The budget has been adjusted to reflect a $40,000 minimum salary for county employees, he said.
If, after receiving the raise, an employee’s salary is less than $40,000, then they will be bumped up further to $40,000, Schmal said.
To increase salaries, Schmal said department heads found ways to reduce non-salary expenses.
“It was a total team effort. Every official, every department head understood the need to increase salary and did what it took to get there. It was a total team effort,” Schmal said.
The 2025 budget is the third budget to have reserves, Schmal said, with 15% of the general fund and 10% of levy funds encompassing reserves. The purpose of the reserves is to have funds available for emergency expenditures, he said.
For future budgets, the goal is to increase the reserves to 30%, he said.
“The county is making strides, but we’re not there yet. But we’re getting there,” Schmal said.
Overall, the 2025 budget is projected to see an increase in revenue and a decrease in expenses, Schmal said.
The council will give final consideration to the budget Oct. 15.
