Quorum Court Approves Raises in 2026 Budget

RISON - The Cleveland County Quorum Court approved a 2026 budget Monday night that includes a pay raise for all county employees next year, and also approved a 4 percent one-time payment for all full-time employees this year for Christmas.The budget approved by the quorum court projects $2,823,964 in revenue and $2,492,121 in expenses for the county general fund in 2026. The budget projects $2,665,000 in revenue and $2,298,444 in expenses for road department fund next year.County Treasurer Angie Kimsey said in an interview after the meeting that the budget included a 4.5 percent pay increase for county employees while giving the elected officials a 6 percent pay raised. The elected official pay raises only applies to those elected to countywide offices like county judge, sheriff, clerk, etc. It does not include the justices of the peaces.Kimsey explained that state law requires each county give elected officials with a 3 percent pay raise each year. During the quorum court's budget committee meeting last month, Kimsey said the committee decided to add an extra 3 percent to the state's mandated 3 percent pay raise while giving the other county employees a 4.5 percent pay raise across the board.She said the county was able to provide the pay raises thanks to an ongoing effort to control expenses throughout year in county government.In her monthly financial report, the balance in the county general fund as of Nov. 30 was $367,992.40. In comparison, the balance in the county general fund on Nov. 30, 2024, was $325,489.34. That reflects a year-to-year gain of about $42,500 (about 7.6 percent). Thanks to improved interest rates, the county has netted $70,870.80 in interest through the first 11 months of 2025 off the $1.6 million it has invested in certificates of deposit (CDs). That seed money came from the county selling of its long-term nursing home licenses several years ago.Kimsey said the interest generated from the $1.6 m...