Worcester County officials this week said they’ll reduce spending on staff wages and nonprofit grants in the fiscal year 2026 budget as they considered possible tax cuts.
Cost-of-living adjustments for full-time Worcester County employees in the next fiscal year will be capped at a flat $2,000 instead of being a percentage of salary, officials decided this week.
That change went through as a result of Commissioner Jim Bunting (District 6, Bishopville) making the motion in Tuesday’s budget hearing. It passed in a 4-2 vote, with Commissioners Eric Fiori and Diana Purnell voting no, and Commissioner Joe Mitrecic absent.
Bunting made a similar vote earlier in the same hearing to reduce a proposed blanket teacher pay raise from $4,000 to $2,000.
The commissioners on Tuesday also voted to make another set of changes to staffing and wages. They unanimously approved a request from Human Resources Director Stacey Norton to convert some jobs from part-time to full-time and to approve additional hours for other positions. It adds $1,243,401 to general fund spending.
Tax rates discussed