Commissioners Discuss Pay Increases For Officials
The Roosevelt County Commissioners met with the compensation board to discuss salaries of elected officials for fiscal year 2024-2025 on Wednesday, June 5.
Commissioner Gordon Oelkers explained the compensation board recommends to commissioners what board members wish to do. Commissioners then take a straw vote at the meeting before making a final decision during a regular commissioners’ meeting.
Elected officials’ salaries are based on the clerk and recorder’s salary. Deputies also are paid on a scale based on the clerk and recorder’s salary.
Oelkers said that during the past few years, the county hasn’t been able to keep up with the Consumer Price Index. The CPI is 4.1 percent this year.
“It’s taxpayers’ dollars, which makes it hard to keep up,” Oelkers said.
The county is currently in the second year of a two-year contract with the road union that includes a 3 percent raise each year.
“We like to keep everything kind of equal,” Oelkers said about pay increases.
Commissioner Robert Toavs added, “It’s a double- edged sword.”
Toavs noted the county wants to take care of its employers without putting too much of a burden on taxpayers.
The suggestion was a pay increase of $2,075 to the elected official base for fiscal year 2024-2025. Commissioners said the increase is in line with the 3 percent negotiated for the union pay increase for fiscal year 2024-2025.
With the increase, the clerk and recorder’s salary will be $71,237.
Oelkers said Roosevelt County ranks 17th in the state for county elected officials’ salaries.
“Oil and gas helps us tremen- dously,” he added.
The county also provides 100 percent health insurance to its employees. Paying for the health insurance costs about $8 per employee work hour.
“It’s huge. People need to realize that,” Oelkers said of health insurance. “That’s a huge benefit that the small businesses don’t have.”
The compensation board approved the proposal, and the commissioners were also in agreement.
Commissioners made their official approval during their meeting on Monday, June 10.
