The County Compensation Board met earlier this week to set the salary for the elected officials for the coming budget year. The board consists of all three county commissioners (Donna Giacometto, Lee Randall, and Rod Schaffer), as well as County Attorney Jeff Noble, three elected officials (Molly Lloyd, Cynde Jo Gatlin, and Sheriff Drane), and two taxpayers (Pete Wenzel and Julie Collins).
The boards meets every year to discuss and set any pay raises for county’s ten elected officials, which also affects the wages of the county’s deputy officials, such as the Deputy Clerk of Court, Deputy Clerk and Recorder, and Sheriff’s Deputies. These positions are limited to 90% of the elected official’s salary.
In 2019, elected officials did not receive a cost of living adjustment or raise. This year, the documents provided by the MT Dept of Revenue suggested an inflation rate for mill levy calculation of 1.05%, that is, inflation has risen around that amount when factored in with the consumer price index over a three-year span. Essentially, the cost of living has increased 1% over the last year.
The board briefly discussed this matter, as well as the $2000 stipend which applies as an add-on for elected officials in Montana, and is set forth in Montana statute. Certain positions such as the Sheriff are required to take the stipend, while it is optional for other positions. The county commissioners have not taken the stipend within memory, and will continue that tradition this year. In a meeting last week regarding the potential for the commissioners to drop from full time to ¾ salary, the option was brought up about dropping to ¾ time while adding on the stipend. If this change were enacted, it would make for essentially 80% of full-time pay. Commissioner Giacometto brought this up during the compensation board meeting, commenting that she didn’t feel right taking a cut in pay while potentially taking the $2000 stipend and mileage, feeling that it would be a backdoor ploy to make a similar amount as full-time while not being as transparent to the taxpayer.
Giacommetto and Schaffer both felt that the commissioner job was a full-time position, with Schaffer noting that while the office hours weren’t full-time, a lot of time was spent outside the office fielding phone calls and working with public on matters associated with the position, as well as attending special meetings and district conferences. Donna mentioned she kept track of all her time spent working in the job in a diary, which she would be happy to share with anyone who wished.
The compensation board passed a motion to give Clerk & Recorder Cynde Jo Trucano the $2000 stipend, as they felt her duties during a presidential election year deserved the extra pay, and also voted to give Treasurer Pat Phillippi the $2000, as the closing of the state assessor’s office in Broadus has meant additional duties have come under her domain.
The board then discussed a potential pay raise, with thoughts towards a 1% cost of living adjustment for elected officials. A 1% raise effectively adds $433.69 per official, or $4,336.86 as a whole for all elected officials, out of the county’s budget of around 11 million (as of 2019). The budget for the coming year was not brought up at the meeting, and any shortfalls or surpluses that may be ahead.
The cost of living adjustment means elected officials in PR County will make $43,802 per year.
In comparison to other nearby counties or those of similar demographics, Carter County elected officials receive $55,657 per year, though the part-time commissioners only receive a percentage of that amount (56%, with a proposed change to 70%, or $41,732 for the coming year with additional hours of work, as per the July 17 Ekalaka Eagle newspaper). Garfield County elected official base salary is $41,188, while Prairie County’s is $44,969, and Rosebud County officials making $59,736.
The board voted to enact a 1% raise for elected officials in the coming budget year, with the vote passing unanimously.
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