Jackson County legislators approved a resolution Tuesday that they hoped would pave the way in 2011 for the first county employee raises since 2008.

“This is not a raise,” County Executive Mike Sanders said as he presented the plan to the Legislature. But he said the measure would freeze $2.2 million in existing reserve accounts, thus maximizing the chances the money would be available for county and circuit court employee raises next year.

Sanders said the money should be enough to provide raises averaging 3 percent, although he would recommend that department managers have the flexibility to provide merit raises, rewarding the best performers.

He also cautioned that this year’s revenues appeared to be flat, and the county had a lot of needs. With the volatile economy, and the chances of further state cuts, he said he cannot yet guarantee raises. But if the county doesn’t take the unusual step of freezing the funds now, he said, that would probably foreclose the chances of any wage increases next year.

Legislator Theresa Garza Ruiz clarified that the money was for employee raises, not for the elected officials.

The actual county budget will be adopted in January.