Archive: News

The Legislature’s Budget and Capital Committee today made a preliminary recommendation on the salary levels for the County’s elected positions of County Clerk and Sheriff for the 2011-2014 term.  But while they recommended salary figures and justification, committee members made clear that their primary goal was to move the salary question to the full Legislature for discussion and action. Both positions are up for election this November, and the Legislature needs to establish the salaries before the new term begins.

For both positions, the initial proposals would tie salaries to the salary schedule for County managerial employees, with salaries adjusted during the period by any increases received by management personnel.  Based on today’s managerial salaries, the recommendation would increase the base salary for the County Clerk by $1,574, from $69,691 in 2010 to $71,265 in 2011 and would increase the salary for the Sheriff by $1,406, from $85,823 to $87,229.

The plan would result in salary parity between the County Clerk and the Clerk of the Legislature, and would pay the Sheriff at $1,000 per year more than the Undersheriff, the second highest ranked employee in the Sheriff’s Office.

If management salaries are adjusted during the next four years, the salaries of the Sheriff and Clerk would change by the same percentage rate as the rest of County managers.

The recommendation was approved by a 3-0 vote, with Chair Jim Dennis and Legislators Pam Mackesey and Kathy Luz Herrera voting in favor, and Legislators Brian Robison and Peter Stein excused.  But both Mackesey and Luz Herrera cautioned that they were troubled by the prospect of increases in these financial times and, while having the highest regard for the service these elected positions perform, support the salary recommendation at this point to move the issue to discussion by the full Legislature.

In other action, the committee, by unanimous vote of those present, joined the Public Safety Committee in recommending that the Sheriff be authorized to enter into a contract with the firm Global Tel Link to change the rate for inmate telephone calls at the jail, which would increase county commissions each month by 3-5%, projected to increase commission revenue by up to $2,000.

Finance Director David Squires also reported some good news on county sales tax.  Sales tax receipts for the first payment of April are up by 10% from April 2009.  At the end of the first quarter, sales tax receipts were up slightly, but still projected to fall $500,000 short of the 2010 budget target that had projected revenue growth of 3%.

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