County commissioners remained cautious during this year’s first budget workshop May 6 and directed department heads to prepare their budgets for the upcoming fiscal year with standard raises for all employees.

As in years past, workers making less than $25,000 per year could see a $1200 bump, and those earning more than $25,000 could receive a $1000 raise.

Commissioners will consider final approval of the raises along with the rest of the county’s budget in September.

“I’d like to go with the status quo,” Commissioner Gordon Crews said of the standard raises. “If we have to make cuts (to the budget), we’ll make cuts.”

The decision came after a lengthy discussion on the how much revenue the county expects to have for the coming year, including money appropriated by the state legislature for small counties.

Florida legislators made the record books last week by passing the largest budget reduction in state history — $5 billion. But according to one small-county lobbyist, it could’ve been worse.

Baker County granted its first utility franchise to Avery Roberts’ Woodstock Utilities, which will provide water and sewer services to roughly 10,000 acres near Sanderson.

Woodstock Utilities was formed by Mr. Roberts as a way to lay infrastructure to support his industrial development projects in the area.

However, the utility could later be expanded and connected to the system proposed by Cedar Creek’s developers, all of which could one day become a county-wide water and sewer system.

County commissioners approved the Woodstock franchise and its proposed rate structure during their regular meeting May 6.

Mr. Roberts’ initial capital investment for the utility is about $11 million through the first three years — which includes water and wastewater treatment plants in Olustee and Sanderson — plus another $ 1 million in operations and maintenance costs.