Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry is proposing a 2.5 percent, across-the-board pay raise for county employees.

All qualified workers, including department heads and top administration officials like himself, would be included, he told the Star. Seasonal workers and those at the top of their pay range wouldnโ€™t qualify, he said.

It would cost an estimated $12 million, he said.

But because property values have been rising, he said a property-tax increase would not be necessary to cover the added cost. The raise would kick in with the first paycheck of the 2019 fiscal year in July.

County employees last saw raises in 2016, when the Board of Supervisors approved tiered increases that more heavily benefited lower-paid workers as a part of the budget. Sheriffโ€™s deputies and corrections officers saw more substantial raises to address concerns about wage compression, but under this yearโ€™s proposal would see the same increase, according to Huckelberry.

The Board of Supervisors would have to approve the raises as a part of the annual budget. Huckelberry said his recommended budget will be released in late April.


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Contact: mwoodhouse@tucson.com or 573-4235. On Twitter: @murphywoodhouse