Montreat Proposes ‘Employee Focused’ Budget to Aid Retention

Montreat town staff have presented their recommended budget to the Board of Commissioners. Commissioners will hold a public comment period for the budget and are scheduled to vote on the budget at the next regularly scheduled meeting June 13. The $2.7 million budget represents a nearly 13% increase from the previous year.

Town Manager Savannah Parrish mentioned that this budget is “employee focused.” The proposed budget includes a 3% cost-of-living increase, amounting to nearly $22,000 in the budget. The aim is to ensure all town employees make the $22.10 per hour living wage in Buncombe County as determined by Just Economics.

Additionally, the budget includes up to 3% merit increases for employees based on manager reviews, totaling just over $19,000. If approved, the budget will also offer family coverage for employees on town insurance, with the town covering 75% of the cost for family insurance for those who opt in, while employees will cover the remaining 25%.

In addition, the starting salary for police officers in Montreat will be increased to $45,550, with hopes of it serving as a recruitment tool.

The proposed budget also allocates funding for the Texas Road pedestrian bridge. The plan involves appropriating up to $150,000 from the fund balance for the bridge and borrowing $100,000 from a bank to complete the project. The town is actively pursuing grant funding and exploring potential state funding with Rep. Eric Ager to support this infrastructure project.

Completing the Texas Road pedestrian bridge has been identified as a top priority for the town, and Town Manager Parrish emphasized the importance of this project along with retaining employees at a recent meeting.

Mayor Tim Helms also expressed his support for the bridge project and employee retention efforts, emphasizing their importance for the community and the town’s public works department’s involvement in the bridge construction, which is estimated to cost more than $200,000.

The property tax rate in Montreat will remain unchanged at 43 cents per $100 valuation.