Sedgwick County’s employees could be in line for a raise, and there may soon be more of them providing mental health and emergency services.
The county’s proposed budget released Wednesday includes a 2.5 percent across-the-board increase in employee pay, plus a 1.5 percent pool to give one-time bonuses to high-performing employees. That means some employees will make up to 4 percent more next year than this year, officials said.
It also includes funding for adding mental health professionals in suburban public schools, along with more emergency dispatchers and health coordinators. The fairly rosy county budget was released Wednesday morning, a day after the city of Wichita put forth an austere 2019 spending plan proposing the closure of two libraries and a golf course.
Overall, the budget submitted by County Manager Michael Scholes covers just short of $440 million in spending, including the general county government and the fire district that serves the unincorporated county.
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)