# County budget committee floats a flat raise for every employee instead of stipends — no decision made

## What happened
A committee member proposed giving every Vigo County employee the same flat-dollar raise instead of separate percentage raises or one-off job stipends, arguing it would help lower-paid workers more than a percentage raise would and would keep the pay gap between the lowest- and highest-paid county employees from growing ([31:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cez3g1CO4FE&t=1893), [32:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cez3g1CO4FE&t=1936)). The member also said he would not vote to give elected officials a raise and asked that any elected-official raise be voted on separately from employee raises ([42:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cez3g1CO4FE&t=2523)). The committee also said it still owes a favorable-or-unfavorable recommendation on pending grade-change or stipend requests from the auditor's, clerk's, community corrections, surveyor's, and treasurer's offices, and is holding those open until it settles this broader pay-policy question ([1:23:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cez3g1CO4FE&t=4996)).

## The outcome
No vote was taken; the committee left the idea open and said the conversation would continue at a future meeting, with no date set ([56:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cez3g1CO4FE&t=3376)).

## Sources
- [Committee member pitches a flat raise, 31:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cez3g1CO4FE&t=1893)
- [Flat raise helps lower grades more, 32:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cez3g1CO4FE&t=1936)
- [Member opposes an elected-official raise, 42:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cez3g1CO4FE&t=2523)
- [Grade-change and stipend requests left open, 1:23:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cez3g1CO4FE&t=4996)
- [Conversation to continue later, 56:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cez3g1CO4FE&t=3376)

*Also known as: flat raise · cost of living raise · county employee raises · stipend cuts · elected official pay raise*