Believing the local economy is picking back up, Park County commissioners are giving raises and bonuses to county employees in the coming fiscal year.

Commissioners finalized the county’s $23.74 million general budget on July 11.

Even after increasing employees’ pay, the county projects it could have an extra $448,000 left over when this fiscal year ends next June — if the federal government comes through with as much as the county hopes. That money would be in addition to the $16.5 million already sitting in the county’s reserves.

The commission turned down requests for wage increases last year, including at a meeting in December.

In reversing course and voting aye this time, Commission Chairman Lee Livingston cited an improving local economy.

“Back then, it felt kind of hard asking a family that’s making less money to help support someone to make more, but … all indications are, with the way the economy’s going, and statistics are showing that the overall income in Park County is on the rise,” Livingston said. “And we’ve got a great crew; we’ve got a really good crew.”

Commissioner Jake Fulkerson said he felt good about being able to raise employee pay.

“That’s pretty exciting. That’s the first time in three years,” Fulkerson said. “We’re stepping up there.”

The budget includes roughly $184,400 to pay each county employee a one-time bonus of between $500 and $1,000, depending on whether the employee is full-time or part-time. While the county’s oil and gas production and property values are expected to rise next year, “we don’t want to tie ourselves … if something turns around and it gets worse next year than it already is,” Commissioner Loren Grosskopf explained of choosing one-time payments, adding, “Hate to do it that way, but that’s probably the cautious, conservative way of remuneration for our employees.”

In addition, 47 employees are also receiving traditional raises for doing exceptional work or for taking on additional responsibilities. Those merit raises will cost the county roughly $150,000 a year going forward. Commissioners rejected requests to raise the pay of nine other employees, according to information provided by the Park County Clerk’s Office. Combined, the two pay hikes amount to a roughly 2.5 percent increase in payroll.

The commission split 3-2 on whether the staffers approved for raises should also get the bonus. Commissioner Tim French later voted against the entire budget over that issue.

“If you would have voiced that [before voting no on the budget], I probably would have gone with you,” Commissioner Joe Tilden told French; Tilden also believed employees shouldn’t get both raises and bonuses.

Commissioners, meanwhile, will not get any raises in 2017; the county assessor, attorney, clerk, clerk of district court, sheriff and treasurer are receiving a $1,000 raise. That’s under a pay scale adopted three years ago. The first deputies in those offices are receiving an $800 raise.

Wages and benefits for the county’s roughly 200 employees make up roughly $12.9 million, or 54.4 percent, of the county’s total general budget.

Park County technically remains under a “hiring freeze” that commissioners imposed in February 2016 — requiring that every supervisor receive an OK from commissioners before filling any positions that become vacant. Getting that permission has generally proven to be a formality: department leaders come before the commission, are asked what would happen if they had to go without that worker and “the answer is always the same: It would be a real hardship,” Commissioner Tilden summarized at a June 6 meeting.

Shortly after that, Commissioner Fulkerson sharply questioned whether the county actually has a hiring freeze in place, contrasting it with the State of Wyoming’s freeze, where positions have not been filled.

“Ours is a, ‘come before the commission and Loren [Grosskopf] asks a question and we ask what the salary is,’” Fulkerson said.

The commission has approved every single position that supervisors have asked to fill, often one or two per meeting, and almost always unanimously. However, at the June meeting, Grosskopf noted that the process allows the commission to prohibit a hiring if it needs to.

In February, commissioner French voted against allowing Park County Clerk Colleen Renner to replace an employee in the elections office, citing concerns about what the employee’s salary might be; the rest of the commission supported rehiring.

Last week, Fulkerson voted against allowing Assessor Pat Meyer to replace one of his retiring staffers, suggesting Meyer try going without the position for 90 days.

“I think waiting 90 days is a mistake,” responded Meyer, who already had scheduled interviews for a replacement.

“I’m the only one who’s going to know what it [the impact] is,” he said, saying it would result in his office not assessing as much property and, in turn, reducing the amount of money the county collects in property taxes.

The rest of the commission voted in favor of allowing Meyer to hire a replacement.