COEUR d'ALENE - The Kootenai County commissioners have agreed to publish the final 2011-12 budget at $74,127,159.

A 3.82 percent increase from the current fiscal year, the budget includes substantial changes for a few departments, raises for some employees and no property tax hikes.

"It is a budget increase, which in fact disappoints me," said Commissioner Dan Green, who discussed the budget at The Press on Friday.

The heftier budget is primarily due to a $1.4 million increase for the sheriff's department, pushing the department's funding to $21,024,304.

The added dollars will cover new vehicles, and the higher cost for renewing inmate medical services.

The county jail will also receive a $594,780 digital surveillance system, though that will be paid out of the county Information Services budget.

"The county commissioners wanted to manage that purchase," Green said.

Another big-ticket item is the $3,166,817 allocated for county assistance, a $1.3 million boost.

Past commissioners have underfunded indigent services, Green said, which provide assistance with costs like medical bills for low-income residents.

"In previous administrations, they would under budget, then when they ran out of money, they would stop paying their bills," Green said, adding that they would make up the difference at the next budget cycle. "That's not the way I think we should do business."

The commissioners are even reopening this year's budget on Monday to provide more funding for the mandated assistance.

"We're opening up the budget now to pay the bills we have now," Green said.

The new budget will also reduce funding for University of Idaho Extension programs from $160,000 to $140,000.

"This trend may continue," Green said, adding that the commissioners encourage the office to spread cuts across many programs, instead of cutting one.

The North Idaho Fair and Rodeo will also see a reduction from $90,000 to $75,000.

"They want to become self sufficient," Green pointed out.

The county will also provide the Extension Office with another $60,000 for in-kind support, like electricity and rent. The fair will receive $8,300 for such support.

The commissioners are taking a new approach to wage increases this year, instead of providing 2.8 percent raises across-the-board, as recommended by Clerk Cliff Hayes.

"We're trying to bring in a more private sector thought process," Green said.

The roughly 180 personnel in the sheriff's department who are covered by a salary matrix will receive a 3 percent wage increase.

For the remaining 540 county employees, a pool will be established to provide a $25 COLA (cost of living adjustment) increase per pay period.

Employees can only qualify for the raise if they have been working at least a year with the county, Green said, and if they haven't received a raise in the past two years.

The remaining pool dollars will be distributed as merit increases by elected officials.

"The net effect will be that some people will not get any raise at all," Green said. "Some people will get two raises."

A total of 83 employees will not qualify for the COLA increase, the commissioners have determined.

The compensation changes will total $750,000.

The budget also includes several new employees, including two new attorneys at the public defender's office, a new deputy clerk and a new detective and a driver's license examiner for the sheriff's department.

The commissioners have scheduled a budget hearing for 6 p.m. on Sept. 6 in Room 1 of the county Administration Building.

The county clerk presented a recommended budget to the commissioners at the end of August.

The officials then had only a few weeks to make any changes.

"We've been under a very compressed time frame," Green said.