RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. - Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr has proposed another cost-of-living pay increase for county employees in the next fiscal year, aiming to make county salaries more competitive with those in surrounding areas. However, a slight debate has emerged between Mayor Carr and County Commissioner Craig Harris over funding to cover across the board raises and a possible department-specific pay adjustment for first responders.

During an interview, Mayor Carr criticized a suggestion by Commissioner Harris to use funds earmarked for a proposed forensics center to finance an additional pay hike. The proposed reallocation would not only boost overall county employee pay but also elevate first responder salaries to levels competitive with those in neighboring communities. Carr strongly opposed the idea of using money from the fund balance, stating, “Just to be blunt, that is a horrible idea – a basic accounting principle is you never use one-time money or revenue to pay for a recurring expense.”

On Wednesday, Commissioner Harris responded to Mayor Carr’s “recurring expense” statement, rhetorically asking, “But how much would it cost to pay doctors, medical examiners, and staff at the forensics center each year?” The commissioner then clarified that he was not proposing this to be funded by depleting the fund balance. He suggested that reallocating the money intended for the forensics center could, “…provide an immediate 4% pay increase for all county employees.”

The commissioner stated, “I’m not proposing this to be funded by ending funding balance, but will be from excess profits that are above our revenue projections. In the spring, we will then address what additional pay increase the county can do for the FY 25-26 budget once we have additional budget projections in. We will also examine the pay table as a whole, that can go a long way to make us more competitive with the market.”

Harris also stated that, prior to speaking with WGNS, he worked with the county’s human resources and finance staff to identify the most strategic approach to implementing raises. He emphasized, “Helping our employees and addressing recruiting and retention, particularly with our First Responders, is a top priority of mine and I believe the commission as a whole.”

This past week, County Mayor Joe Carr told WGNS that using one-time funding for a county employee pay raise is a bad idea. “Because once the one-time money is gone, you haven’t identified the recurring revenue to pay for the continuing effects of the recurring expense,” Carr explained.

Mayor Carr proposes to use a portion of the current fund balance to build a forensics center. He emphasized that the primary purpose of the center would be to perform autopsies, which state law mandates for every suicide or suspicious death in the county. Due to Rutherford County’s population growth, Carr said the county currently orders between 350 and 360 autopsies annually. Nashville is the nearest city with a facility capable of handling these timely examinations.

Again, to bring the pay of county government workers up to par with other counties and cities, Commissioner Harris proposed, “…giving our employees an immediate raise to make us more competitive, just like the City of Murfreesboro is doing in January.” He has proposed tabling the $14-million investment in the forensics center for now, clarifying, “I’m not against a forensics center, I just don’t feel it’s time for one.” Regarding a pay raise, Harris went on to state, “We can do this while maintaining a balanced budget, protecting our AAA bond rating, and sustaining a strong fund balance.”

It is important to keep in mind that the forensics center proposal would require more support from commissioners before the project could move forward, as would another pay raise for the county. While Mayor Carr has already identified a potential tract of land for the facility, he acknowledged that opinions among commissioners remain divided. “I would say the county commission is pretty much evenly divided on this issue and to be candid, I’ve got a lot of work to do - - to show them and demonstrate the need.” Carr stated.

The back and forth continues as commissioner Harris wants to push forward with a pay increase for county workers now and address future payroll adjustments for the next fiscal year this spring, once additional budget projections are finalized. Mayor Carr, on the other hand, prefers to wait at least 6-months to possibly implement a pay increase that is written into the next fiscal year budget (2025-2026).

While both the mayor and the commissioner acknowledge the county’s substantial fund balance, they currently disagree on how it should be allocated. Harris advocates using a portion immediately for employee raises, while Carr prioritizes other initiatives, such as the proposed forensics center. For now, decisions will have to wait on the full commission’s input.

• Previous Dec. News on Pay Raise and Forensics Center HERE
• Previous Nov. News Article on Pay Raise Proposal HERE