Commission unanimously OKs raises

Kootenai County’s nine elected officials will get substantial pay increases after the County Commission unanimously accepted Tuesday the recommendation of a citizens committee.

The raises will take effect in October, the beginning of the 2006 fiscal year. The recommendation of the nine-member committee, consisting mostly of local business people and two residents picked from the jury pool, was similar to a suggestion made by an independent consultant hired by the county to review the salaries of all 680 county employees, including elected officials.

“To me it sort of puts some credence, some validity to the HayGroup (study),” Commissioner Rick Currie said referring to the California-based consultant.

The prosecutor will get the largest increase – $14,847 – which would bring the salary up to $93,000. The sheriff is next with a $14,730 increase, for a salary of $80,000.

The commissioners will get a $13,486 bump, to $67,000. The assessor, clerk and treasurer will each get an $11,486 increase, for annual salaries of $65,000.

The commissioners, assessor, clerk and treasurer now make $53,514 a year.

The coroner got the smallest increase, $4,486, for a total salary of $58,000.

In June the commission adopted the HayGroup study, which resulted in county employees getting more than $1 million in salary and benefit adjustments to keep county pay in line with other Northwest governments and similarly sized businesses.

About half of the county’s 680 employees received wage increases – jumps that ranged from 2 cents an hour to $4 an hour. Some sheriff’s deputies saw the largest adjustments, with one patrol officer getting an $8,408 annual increase.

The citizens committee also recommended changing the structure of county government, a suggestion the county commission opted not to address Tuesday.

Commissioner Katie Brodie said she hopes the issue doesn’t die, but said the public will have to pursue any changes.

“I hope somebody picks up the ball and studies that option,” she said.

The citizens committee recommended expanding the commission from three to five members and changing their status and pay to part-time. These commissioners would act as a board of directors and hire a county administrator who would, as a chief executive officer, oversee the day-to-day management of the government.

That administrator would then have the power to hire the clerk, assessor, treasurer and coroner – positions currently filled by election. The sheriff and prosecuting attorney would remain elected positions.

Those changes would ensure that the county is run like a “big business” and reflect its size and complexity, the committee said. It also suggested that the commission create another advisory committee to research alternate forms of government and send a recommendation to voters.

Currie said the commission doesn’t plan to spearhead any study or structure change but the public is free to pursue the issue.

“The majority of the people I’ve talked to don’t want change,” Currie said.