The county’s elected officials would receive larger wage increase than the unionized employees of the county board if supervisors accepts the recommendation of the compensation board.
The compensation board in a meeting Moday that lasted 12 minutes voted unanimously to recommend a 3 percent wage increase for FY19 (starting July 1, 2018). The negotiated union contracts include a 2.5 percent increase effective next July 1.
Mary Jane Fields chaired the meeting. Steve Haupert provided median salaries for elected officials in 11 counties with similar populations to Greene, but said looking at salaries that way is very inexact.
There was a short discussion about recommending either a 2.5 or 3 percent raise. Fields reminded the board that with a change in the county’s health benefits, a 2.5 percent increase would make very little difference in someone’s take home pay, but with the county’s insurance premium increasing 23 percent, she suggested a 2.5 percent raise. “I think we need to be as fair as we can to the elected officials and to the union employees,” Fields said.
Guy Richardson said the county is “in pretty good shape,” and that new money has come in in recent years. He named the MidAmerican wind turbines and Wild Rose Casino providing new money. “We’re in a fortunate position that I think our county is very sound financially. I think we should go for 3 percent,” he said.
Other members of the compensation board are Jim Unger, Tom Heater, Susan Lucht and Jody Paup. They were appointed by the various elected officials.
A 3 percent increase would change salaries as follows: treasurer, from $55,784 to $57,457; auditor, from $56,292 to $57,981; recorder, from $55,258 to $56,915; sheriff, from $72,731 to $74,913; attorney, from $89,961 to $92,660; and supervisors, from $26,993 to $27,803.
The compensation board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the county supervisors for consideration at a future meeting. The supervisors cannot approve raises higher than the compensation board recommends. If they decide upon a figure lower than the compensation board’s recommendation, the percent change must be the same for all elected officials. The supervisors can separate their own wage increase and make it a different amount as long as it does not go above what the other officials receive.
The compensation board recommended a 3 percent increase for elected officials for the current year. The supervisors trimmed it back to 2.5 percent to stay in line with the union contracts; they awarded themselves no increase.
