WARREN — The Trumbull County commissioners are discussing whether to eliminate a 2026 scheduled 2% wage increase for nonbargaining unit employees under the purview of the commissioner’s office that normally allows nonunion workers to automatically gain a salary increase equivalent to those negotiated by union employees.

The modification, if enacted, would affect nonunion employees in building inspection, human resources, maintenance and vehicle maintenance, dog pound, the Workforce Development Board of Trumbull County, the sanitary engineer’s office, senior levy administration, Trumbull Transit and the 911 Center.

In addition to looking at freezing the proposed wage increases under their control, commissioners Rick Hernandez and Tony Bernard are expected to request other county elected officials and appointing authorities to consider similar measures to reduce general fund expenditures.

Hernandez said the virtually automatic increases that nonbargaining unit employees receive whenever union contracts are negotiated will eventually bankrupt the county.

“We got some real heavy numbers that are going out to nonbargaining units,” he said. “This has been going on since 1994. The commissioners are taking a position to try to keep this county solvent. We don’t want to see layoffs and don’t want to see someone being put out, but we believe the me-too clauses are escalating to a point where it is putting a strain on the budget. We have to, as commissioners, pay attention to where we are going with our budget.”

Hernandez said this effort will not be popular. However, he emphasized they have to do something, and whatever they do will have to be across the board.

Bernard suggested each elected official and department head be responsible for determining the salary increases their nonbargaining unit employees should receive instead of simply following negotiated union contracts that are approved by the commissioners every three years.

“It is like the commissioners are giving a blank check for them to do this,” Bernard said. “If we pass this, we are saying it is up to each public official to live within their budget. If they want to give out additional raises, they can do that as long as they have the money in their budgets.”

“We are not saying whether they should do it or not,” Bernard said. “We are putting (the decision) where it needs to be — back on each public official to run their own departments the way they should be.”

Commissioner Denny Malloy questioned the proposal, noting the commissioners office cut $3 million from its budget and is doing the same job as before.

“If we are going to do something like this, I think we need to replace the automatic ‘me too’ and do like every other business in America does and have a cost of living increase every year. They have to earn it,” Malloy said.

He said commissioners and department heads have to evaluate their employees.

“We need to have something on paper to show what their job performance is,” he said.

Malloy suggested if they are going to do a freeze like this, then they should consider a freeze in the next contract negotiations.

“It should be done across the board,” he said.

Shara Taylor, a member of the commissioners office staff, said that over her more than 32 years working for the county, whenever there was a lack of funding, everything stayed status quo. The unions have worked to accommodate the county’s needs.

“It happened many times,” she said. “Historically, and I know this to be a fact, the commissioners would get together with the union people, and they would negotiate a freeze for this and another year. I’ve gone many years without an increase.”

Trumbull County Planning Director Julie Greene described working for seven years without receiving a single raise because employees understood the financial condition of the county.

“We have to understand what has already been given up by your older employees in this county,” Greene said.

Malloy said cutting and freezing salaries are things that are done in bad times.

“I don’t think we’re in bad times,” he said.

Bernard said the only thing he and Hernandez are suggesting is putting the decision-making for future increases in the correct people’s hands.