Cape Girardeau County government employees and officeholders would receive a 1.5 percent cost-of-living raise under a budget plan that envisions spending nearly $17 million for county operations in 2016.

Employees also would receive a $500 raise on top of the cost-of-living increase, County Auditor Pete Frazier said.

Frazier said the goal of the additional raise for employees is to "shorten the gap" between employee salaries and officeholder salaries.

The County Commission may vote to approve the budget after a public hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday at the county administrative building in Jackson.

Frazier said the budget is spelled out in a series of documents dealing with a number of separate funds. The proposed $16.89 million budget includes appropriations of $12.47 million for general county operations, $3.25 million for roads and bridges and $1.16 million for assessment services.

In a budget message to the county commission, Frazier wrote: "The 2016 budget reflects a cooperative approach among all county offices in an effort to reduce spending to a point that still satisfies required operating costs."

Operating costs and sources of income have remained "relatively steady" over the past year, he said. A similar trend is projected for the coming fiscal year that begins Jan. 1, he noted.

Frazier said the proposed budget is preliminary. The commission won't approve the final budget until January.

The budget anticipates a slight increase in sales-tax revenue and an increase in expenses compared to the 2015 financial plan, he said. The added cost of holding a presidential election next fall is a major factor in the expected cost increases, Frazier noted.

The county's general budget depends heavily on revenue from a half-cent sales tax, which is projected to bring in $7.37 million in the coming year. Another $4.42 million would come from grants, fees and state reimbursements, Frazier said.

Add in an estimated balance of nearly $2 million to start the fiscal year in January, and the county will have $13.7 million of available income.

The proposed budget envisions having a $1.3 million ending balance for general operations at the end of the 2016 fiscal year.

Cape Girardeau County's road and bridge fund is expected to start the fiscal year with a balance of more than $921,000. The budget envisions a balance of only $340,000 at the end of 2016.

The assessment fund essentially would break even, with an ending balance of about $6,400, under the budget plan.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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