Knox County Commission will have a public hearing on the proposed FY19-20 budget tomorrow at 6 pm in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.
Are all Knox County Employees equal? Based on the proposed budget Knox County Mayor presented, not so much.
As for Knox County School employees, the Knox County Superintendent and School Board proposes those and the Mayor either accepts them or recommends differently. For the first in many years, the Superintendent is proposing a 3.5% increase for every Knox County Schools employee. Normally the “certified” aka school teachers get a raise. Rarely do the “classified” employees get a raise. “Classified’ is teaching assistants, custodians, cafeteria employees, secretaries, maintenance, OT/PT and school resource officers.
In fact “classified” school employees are the only group of Knox County employees not offered a voluntary work reduction plan in the last two years. Knox County general employees have been offered a voluntary work reduction plan twice in 18 months. Knox County Schools Certified employees, “teachers” were offered a voluntary work reduction plan this year.
Knox County Sheriff’s Office is getting a 6% increase (although Sheriff Tom Spangler asked for an 8% increase) Of the 1,067* (*number provided by Knox County Mayor’s Office) Knox County Sheriff’s Office employees.
Of that number 399 are Certified Officers, 387 are non Certified Officers for a total of 786 Officers. The remaining 281 employees are classified as Knox County employees. The certified officers will receive the 6% increase, most of the others will receive about a 3 – 3.5% increase, according to Sheriff Spangler.
The 1,199* (*number provided by the Knox County Mayor’s Office) Knox County General employees will receive a 2% plus one step increase. Which I am told will amount to about a 2.5% increase.
The Knox County Mayor’s Office has directed me to contact the Knox County Fee Offices to obtain their salary suits in order to receive number of employees in each of those offices. Knox County Register of Deeds, Trustee, Clerk, Assessor, Clerk of Circuit Courts, Clerk of Criminal Courts. Those offices typically follow the Mayor’s office for raises, so 2% plus a step, about a 2.5% increase.
