HOPE — Hope Town Council members approved a pay range increase of up to 4% for town employees and elected officials in the first reading of the salary ordinance.
Supervisors will determine each town employee’s raise up to 4%, according to the council. Elected officials will get a 4% increase.
In the ordinance, the council increased the salary of Clerk Treasurer Diane Burton to $52,000 a year.
“I don’t feel that Diane is paid what you should be paid,” said Councilman Herby Ashner. “After looking at the 2025 salary survey, compared to towns in this state that are our size, I feel we are doing you a disservice because you are very underpaid for what you do.”
The council also approved for each employee and elected official to receive a $250 Visa gift card as a Christmas bonus. the town has been doing this for the past five years.
The town also had its second reading and approved the 2026 budget at the meeting. Hope’s total budget will be $1,932,049.
In the budget, individual categories are:
- Rainy day: $270,000
- General: $806,043
- Local Road and Street: $75,000
- Motor Vehicle Highway: $127,984
- Cumulative Capital IMP: $35,000
- Cumulative Capital Development: $176,000
- Economic Dev Income Tax Credit: $408,822
- Casino/Riverboat: $10,500
- LIT Public Safety: $20,000
- Opioid Settlement Fund: $2,700
A budget reduction for the remainder of 2025’s budget was also approved.
“The 2025 budget reduction reduces what we planned to use this year to allow it to be used next year,” Burton said. “This is mainly money put back for our Rainy Day fund and money allocated for a future new town hall.”
This is something the town does every year. The town will be reducing rainy day projects to $171,239, Cumulative Capital Developent building/town hall to $63,161, opiod unrestricted supplies to $1,074 and opioid restricted training to $1,383.
