On Monday, the County Compensation Board met for their annual meeting on salaries for elected officials. The nine member board consists of two members of the public at large (Ann Emmons and Todd Gardner), the three county commissioners, the clerk and recorder, and three elected officials. In this case, those elected officials are the clerk and recorder, the treasurer, and the sheriff. The meeting was held in the courthouse election room, as construction taking place on the sidewalk outside the commissioners’ office necessitated a move to avoid the din of jackhammers and heavy equipment.
The elected official salary effects not only those 11 elected county officials, but also their deputies, effecting a total of 19 people. The deputy salary is based on a percentage of the elected official salary, topping out at 90% for some offices such as the clerk & recorder deputies, while the sheriff’s deputies top out at 98% of the sheriff’s salary.
An increase in elected official salary does not directly affect hourly county employees.
The base pay for elected officials as set in 2022 is $46,242.03, with county commissioners receiving ¾ of that rate, or $34,681.52. Other officials receive a percentage of that base rate, for example the sheriff makes a higher percentage, in part due to duties as coroner. The county attorney also makes a higher percentage, as laid out in Montana Code 7-4-2503.
In comparison to other counties around the state, Powder River County is on the lower end of the pay scale for elected officials. As of 2022, Carter County paid their elected officials around $62,000, Rosebud County paid $66,000, and Wibaux $56,000. Nearby counties paying similar or less money included Prairie County, at $47,000, and Treasure County, with $40,000. Of the counties with data available, Golden Valley paid the least, at roughly $38,000, and Butte Silver Bow the most, at $84,000.
A $2,000 stipend is also available for several positions. County commissioners are required by MT Code to take the stipend, though in years previous to the ¾ pay vote, the stipend was not taken by commissioners. The sheriff is also required to take the $2,000. Other offices including the justice of the peace, clerk of district court, treasurer, and clerk and recorder are determined by a vote of the compensation board.
The board went over and approved old minutes, and began discussion on salaries for the upcoming fiscal year.
A major point throughout the meeting was the factor of inflation, and its effect on salaries and buying power. The Consumer Price Index, which is a widely used measure on inflation which measures prices on goods and services, is put out by the US Bureau of Labor and Industry.
In 2022, the CPI price increase was 8.0% – the highest amount since 1981. Data for 2023 is still in the works, but preliminary data for the first quarter is looking to be around a 4% increase.
With the increased burden of inflation in mind, the board discussed their thoughts, with several members of the board, including members of the public as well as elected officials saying they’d like to see an increase in pay. Another reason cited for an increase in pay was raising deputy pay to make those positions more desirable, keeping experienced workers in the field and the ability to recruit new workers at a competitive wage. For example, when private businesses are regularly increasing pay but government job pay is stagnating, it becomes more difficult to recruit qualified individuals into the field.
One way around this is to de-deputize individuals in county departments, effectively de-coupling them from the limits imposed by their pay being tied to a percentage of elected official salary, and putting them on a by the hour employee pay scale. A major problem with this method is that this would limit the number of services available to the public – for example if a taxpayer comes into the office needing a document signed and the elected official is out of the office, a secretary may not be able to legally process the document, whereas a deputy has those abilities.
A counterpoint to an increase in pay was brought up about how a pay increase would look to the public, since the public is also facing the burden of inflation.
To look into the situation, the upcoming county budget was analyzed, with commissioners commenting that the budget is looking good – oil and gas revenues have steadily brought money into the county coffers, and grants are helping pay for the county’s big projects, meaning the burden on local taxpayers looks to remain consistent with previous years.
With those factors in mind, County Attorney Jeff Noble motioned to approve a 7% pay increase for county elected officials. Board member of the public Ann Emmons seconded the motion, and it went to vote, with all members of the board voting in favor.
On paper, when the 7% pay increase is analyzed with the salaries of all elected officials and deputies, the total comes out to an increase of $49,350.25
per year, per info from the Clerk & Recorder’s office (this amount was changed from the $55,349.41 in the print edition).
When that 7% is factored in with pay raises over the past decade (three years of which had no pay increase), the average salary increase per year comes out to 2.11%. The average CPI index over that same period comes out to 2.47%, so even with the 7% increase this year, elected official wages over the past decade are tracking slightly behind inflation over the same period.
Next on the agenda was the $2,000 optional stipend. All four elected officials who are eligible for the stipend wished to receive it. John Olson motioned to approved the stipend for those eligible, with Lori Fortner seconding. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting was then adjourned.
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