PAY FREEZES FOR COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIALS
Friday, May 19th, 2006 -- 9:59 AM
Whoever wins this November?s races for Clark County Clerk, Clerk of Courts and Sheriff will receive a one-time raise from this year?s salary ? but no raises during their 2-year or 4-year terms, while the Treasurer and Register of Deeds salaries will be frozen at their current levels through 2008, after the County Board passed two amended resolutions last night. The Personnel Committee had recommended annual pay increases through 2010 for the Clerk of Courts and Sheriff; and through 2008 for the Treasurer, Register of Deeds and County Clerk.
Curtiss-area Supervisor Fredrick Schindler questioned the proposed raises, referencing a Personnel Committee study of 16 comparable counties. Schindler claimed the raises would put some of Clark County?s elected officials at the top of pay scale.
?Correct me if I?m wrong: we're the second poorest economical County, yet the Treasurer and Register of Deeds is leading every county in our 16 county average,? Schindler said. ?Both positions are over $50,000. There are no other counties that meet or exceed that.?
Willard-area supervisor Al Bower, a Personnel Committee member, explained the raise proposal was the result of a lot of anguish and research on the part of committee members. He said the proposed raises ? some larger than others ? were meant to ?equalize? the county?s pay scale.
?We didn?t think it was fair to chop away at those that are there. There?s not a strict across the board two or three-percent ? there?s no precedent set. We equalized,? Bower explained.
Thorp area supervisor Elvin ?Bud? Fleming, spoke in favor of the raises.
?If you want something done, you go to these key positions. You get the best people you can find and you pay them well. I think we have the best people we can find and they ought to be paid well,? Fleming said.
Town of York supervisor Bill Elmhorst successfully amended the resolution to nix the pay raises of the Register of Deeds and Treasurer positions and freeze the Clerk, Clerk of Courts and Sheriff?s salaries after the proposed 2007 pay increase goes into effect.
After being amended, both resolutions passes easily.
On the Web:
[url=http://service.govdelivery.com/service/docs/WICLARK/WICLARK_2/WICLARK_2_20060518_en.htm]County Board Agenda - Scroll Down For Resolutions[/url]
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