CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Commission approved its budget Thursday, which includes a $300,000 increase in spending compared to the current budget.
The $56.7 million budget is a 0.6 percent increase from current spending levels, which Commission President Kent Carper attributed to the increasing cost of health insurance, utility bills and raises for public employees.
“Our budget is balanced,” he said. “It’s a very good, but very tight, budget.”
The commission approved last month the hiring of four additional deputies for the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department as well as $500 raises for all employees to offset increasing health insurance costs.