The Gloucester Board of Supervisors held a pair of work session meetings last week as it prepares to adopt its FY 2024 operational budget and the accompanying tax rates.

The board is expected to vote on the matter when it meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the colonial courthouse.

After meeting on Tuesday, April 18, board members returned the following night to continue their discussion of the budget.

On Wednesday, the board continued its discussion of the additional $243,654 in revenue from the State Compensation Board that County Administrator Carol Steele had mentioned the night before. Of that amount, $90,000 will be used to fund an investigator position for the Gloucester Sheriff’s Office. This number accounts for the position’s base salary as well as health insurance and other expenses.

Steele said revenue from the Compensation Board could be more if the state moves from a 5 percent increase to 7 percent. At 7 percent, the county would receive a total of $398,246 above the current amount.

With the possibility of more funding for county salaries, Steele presented the board with a number of funding options for pay increase for positions outside of those covered by the compensation board. To provide all county employees with a 7 percent increase to salaries would cost $253,535 out of the $398,246, leaving a balance of $144,711.

This funding option would remove steps from the pay raises. Steps for state-funded positions would cost the county another $44,629, and $13,762 for non-state funded positions. To include a step for remaining staff would cost $44,357. This makes the total amount needed to cover all salary steps $102,748 out of the remaining $144,711.

Board vice chairman Ashley Chriscoe suggested funding the 7-percent increase for all Gloucester employees and to include funding the step as well, contingent on the state moving to a 7-percent budget increase. He also suggested sending any remaining funds should be moved to the County Administrator Contingency Fund. Other members agreed with Chriscoe and the consensus was to move forward with the budget process with these changes.