At their first meeting of the year, the Box Butte County Commissioners took action to set the salaries of the elected officials prior to the Jan. 15 deadline.
During the meeting, the commissioners followed up on a discussion from their previous meeting regarding the position of the Box Butte County Attorney. Commissioner Steve Burke asked County Attorney Terry Curtiss about an appropriate agreement for a full-time county attorney. Curtiss responded that the proposed contract for a full-time county attorney will still allow the person in that position to operate a private practice when time allows, though, he noted, the amount of prosecutions currently is too high to allow for that.
Commissioner Mike McGinnis read a proposal, setting the salaries for assessor, clerk, clerk of the district court and treasurer at $56,400, setting the salary for the commissioners at 50 percent of the other elected officials’ salaries, setting the salary of the sheriff at $67,680, setting the salary of the attorney at $90,240, setting the salary of a full-time public defender at $84,600, with a part-time public defender’s salary set at $73,320, and setting the salary of the surveyor at $1,000. As part of that proposal, he offered a two percent raise annually.
County Treasurer Valery Bell said that would make Box Butte County’s elected officials the lowest-paid elected officials in the Panhandle. She noted that Box Butte County is the Panhandle’s second largest county. McGinnis responded with two options.
“We as elected officials can either run for the office, or we can relocate and run for an office in a different county,” said McGinnis. “All of us could, if we wanted to.”
Commissioner Susan Lore noted that from what she has seen, a lot of counties have offered elected officials a three percent annual raise. Burke asked about setting the salary at $56,400, and offering a three percent annual raise.
“I feel like that at least gets us closer,” said Bell. “I realize that we always want to err on the side of the taxpayer, but I also believe that the taxpayers want competent people doing these jobs, and I don’t want to look at losing people. While we’re talking base salaries, yes that’s for the elected official, but everything in Box Butte County is based off of that elected official wage. That’s the basis that we use to set our office staff salary. That’s the basis that everyone’s wages are set off of. So, it’s not just ours that I’m concerned about. I’m more concerned about keeping my staff in a competitive world that we’re in right now.”
Following a discussion about cost of living adjustments, Lore made a motion to set the base salary for the assessor, clerk, clerk of the district court, and treasurer at $56,545, commissioners at 50 percent of the elected officials’ salaries, or $28,273, sheriff at $67,854, attorney at $90,472, public defender at $84,818, and county surveyor at $1,000. Her motion also included a three percent annual raise. Burke seconded the motion. The commissioners voted unanimously against the motion.
McGinnis moved to set the base pay at $56,400, with a three percent annual raise for 2023 through 2026. Lore seconded the motion. Each of the commissioners voted in favor of the motion.
Next, the commissioners discussed whether to set the county attorney at full time or part time. Curtiss noted that the commissioners should be on the record in the minutes of the meeting in saying that the county attorney may only conduct private practice if time is allowed only after their duties are performed.
“For all intents and purposes, you’re telling them this needs to be a full-time position,” said Curtiss. “I can’t imagine that a county attorney is going to want to do divorce work if he’s going to try to devote the time it takes to what it’s going to take. Conflicts are a problem. Part of the reason that we’re divided up as we are right now is, in order for a county attorney to have a private practice that involves divorce work, you can not have anything to do with child support. That’s why it’s uniquely Larry’s (Miller) obligation right now. I think you want to do something that signals you expect this to be virtually a full time position.”
The final resolution set the salary for the assessor, clerk, clerk of the district court and treasurer at $56,400, the salary for the commissioners at $28,200, the salary for the sheriff at $67,680, the salary for the public defender at $84,600, the salary for the attorney at $90,472 and the salary for the surveyor at $1,000.