About 450 workers get raises

PERKINS TWP. — Upon returning to work from the holidays, Erie County employees should notice a bump in their paychecks. In December, during a public meeting, the three elected officeholders — Matt Old, Pat Shenigo and Steve Shoffner — approved 3% raises, or what they called "cost-of-living adjustments," for about 450 qualifying non-union employees across various departments heading into 2026. This raise percentage falls in line with what county union, or bargaining, employees received. And it's the same raise percentage this grouping of employees secured a year ago as well. Paying out just the amount in raises should collectively total about $750,000 in one year's time. For a few years now, commissioners have approved pay bumps for employees on an annual basis — but, based on market trends, this practice could come to a screeching halt starting as soon as next year. "The Federal Reserve has initiated several interest rate cuts this year, and inflation still continues to impact all households in Erie County," said county administrator Hank Solowiej, one of the employees who received a raise. In the end, these workers deserved a pay boost, Old said. "We believe this is a reasonable cost-of-living adjustment to keep our wages competitive with current economic conditions," he said. Surging sales tax Officials intend to dip into Erie County's general fund, also known as the everyday operating budget, in addition to other locally managed accounts, to cover the cost of these raises. Heading into 2026, commissioners recently approved a $38.6 million general fund or everyday operating budget. That's up from $36.5 million in 2025. Sales tax dollars, the single-largest revenue source for the county government, totaled about $23 million, a new high, in 2025. Erie County receives sales tax money each time consumers purchase taxable items. In Erie County, the sales tax rate equals 6.75%. It's among the lowest rates when compared to Ohio's 88 counties. Officials, however, commented on how they cautiously approved these legislative matters. Who earned the most? Here's a look at the top five Erie County employees in terms of their earned annual salaries from 2025: 1. Donna Patrick, nursing director and assistant administrator for The Meadows at Osborn Park, $164,900 2. Hank Solowiej, county administrator, $159,000 3. Kevin Baxter, prosecuting attorney, $156,000 4. Trevor Harlow, sheriff's lieutenant, $138,000* 5. Dennis Papineau, sheriff's sergeant, $130,000* Note: Baxter is an elected official, and his salary is set by state law. * These figures include overtime earned that would mostly be reimbursed by an outside agency. Source: Erie County finance department