The county supervisors trimmed the 3 percent salary increase recommended for county elected officials by the compensation board to 2.5 percent and gave themselves no salary increase. The board made its decision Thursday for FY18, which begins July 1, 2017.
The secondary roads department employees recently settled a two-year contract with 2.5 percent wage increases in both years.
In discussion, supervisor Mick Burkett said he’d like to see salary increases for elected officials stay in line with those the unionized employees receive. He’d rather increase the salaries 2.5 percent this year and next than award a 3 percent increase this year and 2 percent next.
Board chair John Muir suggested no raise for the supervisors.
“Everybody likes to feel they’re doing their job good enough that they deserve a raise. I think at some point that should happen again with supervisors. I think we’re doing our job well. But we’re asking people to take not as much, and I think as leaders, we need to make cuts, too,” board chair John Muir said.
Supervisor Dawn Rudolph said she agrees, but added that being a supervisor cuts into time that would be spent at other jobs working to support a family. “We’ve got to make that balance. I’ve got to look at how I’m sacrificing my other living, if this is taking too much time away from trying to make a living…. Sometime there may be a decision that the compensation doesn’t justify that,” she said. “I agree, though, as leaders we need to make cuts, too. We can’t expect everybody else to make the cuts.”
For the current year the supervisors increased the salaries of the other elected officials 2 percent and gave themselves no raise. For FY 16 the other officials received a 3 percent increase and the supervisors received 2.5 percent. The increases in FY15 were 3 percent for other officials and 2 percent for the supervisors.
Wages for FY 18 will increase as follows: treasurer, from $54,423 to $55,784; auditor, from $54,919 to $56,292; recorder, from $53,909 to $55,258; sheriff, from $70,957 to $72,731; attorney, from $87,767 to $89,961; and supervisors, no change, $26,993.
