A three-member arbitration panel was expected to announce its decision today but postponed the release after recalculating its time line and realizing it had another day to work, said Ted Hong, chief state negotiator.

State and county officials are awaiting the outcome of the panel’s three-month process because the wide disparity between two sides has left uncertainty about their respective budgets both this year and next. The state has offered no pay raises in the first year and 1 percent in the second year. The union wants 4 percent raises, including "steps" that allow employees to move up pay categories based on years of service, in each of the two years.