Two percent for other elected officials
The Greene County supervisors after much deliberation decided by a split vote to award 2 percent raises to other county elected officials but no raise to themselves.
The supervisors at their Feb. 1 meeting took up the recommendation of the compensation board. That board had recommended raises of 2.5 percent for all elected officials, including the five supervisors.
Supervisor Guy Richardson began the discussion Monday. He said he was comfortable with the compensation board’s recommendation, saying he respected the research the board had done.
Supervisor Mick Burkett verified that secondary roads employees, the largest group of county employees, is in the final year of a three-year contract that called for wage increases of 3 percent in the first year and 2.5 percent in the second and third years. The board also verified that employees are not seeing an increase in their share of health insurance premiums.
Richardson made a motion that the board accept the recommendation of the compensation board and increase the salaries of all elected officials 2.5 percent. The motion sat for much longer than usual. Board chair John Muir announced it had died for lack of a second before Burkett asked if he could still second it. The second was accepted but the motion was defeated, with Richardson and Burkett voting in favor and Tom Contner, Dawn Rudolph and Muir voting against it.
Rudolph made a motion to approve 2 percent raises for all elected officials. The motion was seconded by Richardson. Rudolph and Richardson both voted for the motion but Muir, Contner and Burkett voted it down.
Contner next made a motion to increase other elected officials’ salaries by 2 percent but approve no salary increase for the supervisors. The motion was seconded by Burkett. Contner, Burkett and Muir voted in favor with Richardson and Rudolph voting against and the motion passed.
The salary increases will be effective July 1. Salaries will increase as follows: attorney from $86,046 to $87,767; auditor from $53,842 to $54,919; recorder from $52,854 to $53,911; sheriff from $69,566 to $70,597; and treasurer from $53,356 to $54,423. The supervisors will continue to receive a salary of $26,993.
