Over the past decade, a complete turnover on the Allen County Council has produced a board more attuned to the real-world needs and challenges of local government and the taxpayers who finance it. The new members took a council known for little-researched, haphazard, even arbitrary financing decisions and made it one that methodically established priorities, saved and spent prudently and reduced the micromanaging of county department heads.

So the council seemingly took a step backward last week. Returning to the days of appearing to operate in a vacuum, it approved generous raises for some of the best-paid county employees during the worst economic setback in decades.

Actually, the council did have a method to the madness. The council completed a review of county salaries that began five years ago and has already boosted the wages of the lowest-paid employees. The council rightly has been attempting to set wages as competitive as possible and fair compared with other county workers.

But the timing is lousy. By voting to approve $71,000 in raises to the best-paid employees beginning in 2010, the council risks enforcing stereotypes that officials aren’t paying attention to the wage cuts and job losses around them.

More important, citizens must ask whether council members are planning well for next year, when property tax restrictions and other budget factors could well result in budget cuts producing layoffs. The county already eliminated 37 jobs in 2009, and even more cuts are likely for 2010.

Councilmen Paul Moss and Roy Buskirk rightly voiced those concerns in voting against the proposal. Other council members were concerned about raising the pay this year but approved the raises for 2010.

The council was right to establish new pay scales for the 11 executives. Council members would have also been right to set target salaries. But given the current economy, budget uncertainties for 2010 and the fact that all county appointees received a relatively generous 3 percent raise this year, the council should have held off on approving the raises, instead planning on making the increases in steps over multiple years.

Council members should not hesitate to take that very action this fall when they establish a 2010 budget based on more complete information about next year’s revenues.