The Butler County salary board on Wednesday voted to give the county’s Community Development Block Grant administrator a pay increase, but not without some dissent.

The position, occupied by Wendy Leslie, will have its hourly rate increased from $20.17 to $22.53 on July 1 and then again to $24.98 on Jan. 1.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein voted against the increase, and said Leslie already received a 5 percent raise at the beginning of the year. With the new raises, he said that will amount to a 28 percent salary increase.

“I think that’s outlandish,” Eckstein said.

He said he was not saying a salary increase was not merited, but said he felt the amount was too great. He also said the raise will have an adverse effect on employee morale, especially with the county in negotiation with several of its labor unions.

“It’s just going to wreak havoc on our labor negotiations,” Eckstein said.

Commissioner Dale Pinkerton said that Leslie’s position is paid for by state money, and the state is giving an extra $33,000 in CDBG grant money, which will help pay for the position.

“She has been underpaid for a long period of time, and we’re making it right,” Pinkerton said.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, said that the $33,000 the county is getting used to go to different municipalities. In addition to getting this extra money, Leslie also is taking on additional responsibilities, and will have to work more night hours going to different municipal meetings.

McCarrier also noted that the pay increase amounts to less than one-third of the $33,000, and said that Leslie could have declined the extra work, which could have forced the county to hire another employee. Leslie also is not eligible for overtime pay, he said.

County Controller Ben Holland said that the raise does not affect the county’s general fund. If it did, he would have voted against the raise. However, he noted that union employees sometimes get comparable raises, and said that Leslie is taking on extra work.

“I don’t think it’s excessive,” Holland said.

He also noted that the county voted to eliminate a position from the same department that it was having a hard time filling, saying that this will save the county money down the road.

Additionally, the salary board voted to hire five new emergency services dispatchers to handle 911 calls for Butler police.

The part-time dispatchers will make $19.98 per hour.

After July 1, the county communications center will be taking on city police emergency calls. Currently, city police handle all of their emergency calls. Starting next month, the city’s desk sergeants, who take the calls, will be put on patrol.

McCarrier said that the county gets about 100,000 911 calls annually, and calls from the city could add 10,000 to that number.

Holland said that hiring part-time dispatchers is a smart move, allowing it to assess whether it will need to hire more full-time dispatchers.

The county has 18 full-time and 12 part-time dispatchers.