Salary increases, Covid force Minnehaha County to dip into funds

Pay bumps for three elected officials pass Tuesday

Salary increases were the theme of the morning Tuesday as the Minnehaha County Commission approved a budget adjustment and pay raises for three elected officials.

The supplement to the current budget included more than $500,000 from the general fund. Much of that went to finance 7 percent pay matrix increases for county employees.

But the COIVD-19 virus continues to hit the county’s budget as well. Besides paying for staff increases at the Juvenile Detention Center, $118,000 was also used to cover overtime expenses caused by Covid. Overtime for JDC staff ran “significantly greater than usual,” according to a memo from JDC Director Jamie Gravett.

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