El Paso County workers would get their first cost-of-living raise in five years under a preliminary 2010 budget presented to county commissioners on Thursday.

The proposal calls for $1.75 million to be spent on providing a 2.5-percent raise for most employees while raising the pay even more of the lowest paid workers in the Department of Human Services and the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Those employees are the worst paid in the county at $23,000 to $25,000 per year.

The preliminary spending plan also contains:

• $387,500 for replacement of servers, computers and other information technology equipment.

• $638,879 more for the employees’ retirement fund.

• $66,960 for a coroner investigator.

• $398,270 for rising jail food and medical expenses.

• $500,000 to repay the road and bridge fund for money borrowed this year.

• $1.6 million to upgrade the county’s software backbone system that handles payroll, personnel services, purchasing, contracting and other functions.

• $1.9 million for the 2010 primary and general elections, which will be conducted at the polls.

The preliminary $227.5 million budget is about $2 million less than this year’s budget. Commissioners must adopt a 2010 budget by Dec. 15.

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