By CHAD COOPER, [email protected]
The Buchanan County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a one-time 2% bonus for constitutional officers and their employees following a public hearing during the board’s June 8 meeting.
The bonus will be funded primarily through state money, with a small local contribution from Buchanan County.
According to the ordinance approved by the board, the bonuses will be paid from the State-Supported Local Employee Bonus account for fiscal year 2025-26. Funding includes $68,229.65 from the Commonwealth of Virginia and a local contribution of $4,295 from Buchanan County.
County Administrator Craig Horn encouraged supervisors to approve the bonus.
“It is not something you should turn down,” Horn said.
Under the ordinance, the bonus must be paid and reimbursed during fiscal year 2025-26. The measure was adopted in accordance with Virginia law, which requires a local ordinance to authorize bonus payments for local government employees.
No members of the public spoke during the hearing.
Garden District Supervisor Jeff Cooper made a motion to close the public hearing, which was seconded by North Grundy Supervisor Lee Dotson. The motion passed unanimously.
Following the public hearing, Cooper moved to approve the one-time 2% salary bonus. Dotson seconded the motion, and the board unanimously approved the ordinance.
The bonus applies to Buchanan County constitutional offices and their employees and is intended to provide additional compensation through state-supported funding made available by the Commonwealth.
In other business, the board of supervisors unanimously approved a one-time 2% bonus for employees of the Buchanan County Department of Social Services during the meeting.
The action followed a request from Buchanan County Department of Social Services Executive Director Marcella Watson, who informed county officials that the Commonwealth of Virginia had allocated funding for the bonus as part of the governor’s compensation initiative for state-supported local employees.
In a letter submitted to County Administrator Horn prior to the meeting, Watson said the state had provided $60,477 toward the bonus while the required local contribution would be $9,415.79.
Watson noted that if the request was not approved, the state funding would have to be returned.
“The Commonwealth of Virginia has allocated $60,477 to fund the state’s portion of this bonus,” Watson wrote. “The required local contribution is $9,415.79. If this request is not approved, the state funds must be returned in accordance with state requirements.”
Watson also stated that the Virginia Department of Social Services requires a copy of the adopted local ordinance authorizing the bonus pursuant to Virginia law.
Dotson made the motion to approve the bonus, and Adkins seconded the motion.
The measure passed unanimously.
