Supervisors grapple with state mandated bonus

Local funds needed to complete
pay out to eligible employees

Supervisors are hedging on paying out the $52,000 in local funds needed to complete the bonus for some employees in the sheriff’s office, commonwealth’s attorney’s office, treasurer’s office and commissioner of revenue’s office.

The state portion of the budget covers the amount of state funded salaries paid out to employees by the state. The local portion of those salaries, paid by Middlesex County taxpayers, has to be paid by the county.

The announcement of the $52,000 needed to complete the bonus came last week at a budget work session with supervisors in the final stages of trying to balance the 2025-2026 fiscal year budget.

“Here we are looking for ways to trim and balance the budget and the state comes up with yet another state mandate requiring us to spend more,” said Walker. “We are not the only county that is considering not funding it and losing the 1.5% for the employees. I know it is not going to make me popular with our compensation board-funded employees, but we have to balance this budget.”

At the meeting, Supervisors Chairman Don Harris said he was not in favor of taking any funds from the fund balance to cover cost overruns in the 2025-2026 fiscal budget, which means the extra cost would have to come from taxpayers, taxes, etc.

Board members questioned Walker as to whether or not the mandate required Middlesex to fund the $52,000 to receive the 1.5% bonus. The county administrator said he was not sure, but would look into the matter.