County Approves $7.1 Million Budget

RISON - The Cleveland County Quorum Court formally approved a 2025 county budget of more than $7.1 million during its final regular monthly meeting of year on Monday night.County Judge Jimmy Cummings said the 2025 budget does include a 3 percent pay raise for all county employees thanks mostly to the various departments within county government keeping their expenses in check throughout the 2024 calendar year and thereby having enough money on hand to give the raises.The quorum court approved the budget by a 7-0 roll call vote. Justice Donnie Herring was not at the meeting while the District 7 seat is currently vacant following the resignation of Johnie Brewster after moving outside the county.Also during Monday night’s meeting at the Hall-Morgan Veterans Building in Rison, the quorum court approved giving all county employees a one-time, non-recurring payment of 5 percent of their 2024 salary. Cummings said the one-time payments totaled about $56,000.While salaries for county employees may be low compared to some other counties in the region, Cummings said keeping annual pay raises at about 3 percent per year protects the county from a financial shortfall in the future. He noted that the county can allows give the employees some additional money at the end of the year like it did this year with the 5 percent one-time payments.In essence, Cummings said county employees received an 8 percent increase this year considering the 3 percent pay increase included in the 2024 budget and then the extra 5 percent given at the end of the year.There was very little discussion when the 2025 budget came up for a vote during Monday night’s meeting. Any questions the justices of the peace may have had about the budget were likely answered during the budget committee meeting held on Nov. 13. In that meeting, all nine justices meet collectively as the budget committee to review each county department’s budget. Cumming said this year’s...