County to raise elected officials’ pay less than recommended

Supervisors agree to no increase for themselves

By Chris Baldus, cbaldus@charlescitypress.com

No raise in pay for the Floyd County Board of Supervisors, no money for election computers, but expand the number of sheriff’s deputies by one.

Those are examples of direction the County Board gave County Auditor Gloria Carr so she can draft a proposed budget to present to the public. 

The budget is not final until the board votes after the annual public hearing on the budget, which is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. March 14.

Supervisors asked county department heads to look into their budgets and root out expenses that are routinely accounted for but never realized. When that occurs, the money has been collected from taxpayers but not spent and it expands the county’s general fund balance. The board instead is trying to eliminate that process and then lower a supplemental tax levy, Carr said.

The supervisors met with Carr Tuesday afternoon. A key decision is on wages for fiscal year 2017-18. The supervisors rejected the pay increases recommended by the County Compensation Board. Instead, the supervisors’ pay will not be increased and the auditor, recorder, sheriff and treasurer will receive smaller increases than recommended.

This decision is not official until the supervisors approve it in the budget.

Supervisors will remain at a base salary of $37,703. The compensation board recommended 1 percent.

The county attorney salary will rise by 3.44 percent to $96,836.12, rather than the recommended 5 percent.

The county auditor salary will rise by 2.42 percent to $63,259, rather than the recommended 3.5 percent.

The county recorder and treasurer will each see a 2.06 percent increase to $63,047.07, rather than the recommended 3 percent.

The sheriff pay will increase 2.75 percent to $84,300.21, rather than the recommended 4 percent.

These increases will also increase the pay of  deputies in each office.

The board agreed to budget a 2.75 percent increase in pay for county employees not represented by a union and whose pay is not linked to that of the department heads.