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Board of County Commissioners Meeting Minutes - Final September 10, 2025 additional costs. Administrator Titkanich concluded that it was also essential to recognize that the County was unlikely to see property tax reform until 2028. This reform would be determined by voters, who were often the same individuals cheering for lower property taxes. The Chairman called a recess at 6:40 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 7:25 p.m. with all members present. County Administrator Titkanich displayed a spreadsheet of the Sheriffs office's salaries and operating costs. He reminded the Board that whatever budget the Board ultimately decided upon, staff had advertisements scheduled for September 17, 2025. He pointed out that before the Board adjourns tonight's meeting, the Board would need to vote to adopt the exact amount, and staff would need to rebalance a $90 million budget so it could be advertised correctly. He referred to the spreadsheet of deputies' starting salaries in other counties, noting it had been updated after the Budget Workshop to include Polk County, and emphasized the average starting salary for the Sheriff's offices listed was $57,888.60. He presented a pay -raise scenario that included all their benefits; the total was $6,079,920, as previously explained. The $6,079,920 would be an option only if the Board decided to allocate those funds specifically for that purpose. This amount would raise deputies' starting salary to $60,000. Vice Chairman Loar received confirmation from Administrator Titkanich that the approximately $6.1 million increase would bring all the starting salaries to $60,000, and give every uniformed, jail, courthouse, and road patrol employee a $9,381 raise. Additionally, it would provide a $3,500 across-the-board raise for the 190 civilian employees. Commissioner Adams reiterated that the amount aligned with what the Board approved during the Budget Workshop and appeared to meet the goals stated in the Sheriffs budget presentation, which aimed to raise base pay and avoid compression among the deputies. In response to a question from Commissioner Moss about the time required to reach $15 million in reserves, Administrator Titkanich stated that it ultimately depended on the economic cycle. He pointed out that from 2013 to 2021, it took the County eight Indian River County, Florida Page 8