Bartholomew County Council member paychecks have been a little lighter than expected this year.

Due to an error in drafting the county’s salary ordinance, the council members neglected to give themselves a raise this year. That raise of 3 percent would have been the same raise given to other county employees and elected officials, but the council members were accidentally left out when the salary ordinance was rewritten by the auditor’s office during budget negotiations.

Council President Laura DeDomenic says that the raise would have amounted to about $160 a year, and most council members said they didn’t even notice they weren’t getting the pay bump. During the budget negotiations last year, DeDomenic suggested the council forgo raises as a largely symbolic way of making budget cuts.

County Auditor Barb Hackman said that under the law the council can not vote itself a raise again until next year.