The county commissioners have agreed to raise salaries for deputy county officials and employees.
Based on the cost of living index, the increase for certain staff members and all four deputy officials will be four percent, as voted upon by the county board members.
“It is being suggested that the deputy officials’ salaries go up four percent,” said Commissioner Gus Brown, introducing the discussion. “With the cost of energy and fuel, the budget’s going to go up. Four percent is the current cost of living increase — and as far as deputies, this would affect those in the clerk, treasurer, assessor and district court offices.”
“How long has the cost of living index been at that rate?” asked Commissioner Ken Stuhr.
“Since the first of the year,” Brown said. “We expect it will grow more.”
“I have a problem with four percent being the same for all the deputies,” said County Clerk Cynthia Heine. “In our office, my deputy handles four positions. I’d like to see a six percent raise for her, because of her responsibilities and the fact our office handles four departments.”
“I don’t want to see four percent, period,” said Stuhr. “I’d like to see more like 3.5 percent, as we’ve typically been at three percent. That doesn’t mean we have to give a four percent increase because (the cost of living index) is there right now.”
“It’s been at that level for the last six months,” Brown said.
“Well, to start the discussion, I’m going to move with a 3.5 percent increase across the board,” Stuhr said, with Commissioner Steve Neujahr giving a second to the motion.
“I think dollar-wise, I can be on your side, Ken (Stuhr),” Neujahr said. “But I think that next year, four percent won’t even be close and we’ll really have to play catch-up.”
“You really think inflation will go up that much?” Stuhr asked him. “I do, I really do,” Neujahr responded.
“It’s been at four percent for the last six months,” Brown reiterated.
“But we’re looking a year ahead of us, not behind us,” Stuhr answered.
“If you’ve been to the store or the gas pump, you know the dollar doesn’t go far,” Brown said. “I think we need to be fair to our employees, treat them right, and give them that cost of living increase.”
At that point, they took the vote and all the commissioners voted against the 3.5 percent increase. A new motion was made to go to four percent, after all.
“What about Cynthia (Heine)’s request?” asked Commissioner Gene Bergen.
“I have a problem differentiating between deputies,” Neujahr said. “I think the increase across the board is fair.”
“When you look at NACO (reports), some counties do pay the clerk’s office more,” Stuhr said.
They all voted in favor of a four percent increase for all the deputy officials, with no special exception given to the deputy clerk.
Regarding county employees — they considered the departments of Area on Aging, veterans services, custodial, road department staffers that are not part of the union, the extension office and others. The board members said most of the employees work on an hourly basis — with some being salaried, such as in the Area on Aging, roads department, zoning, weeds and the assistant county attorney.
Again, a four percent increase was suggested.
“This comes from the department heads,” Brown explained. “They suggest amounts that are varied, but they are all generally around four percent.”
Rich Hankel was present, representing the York County Veterans Service Committee.
“I understand Don (Sandman, veterans service officer) is going to salary,” Brown said. “That’s fine with me. It is being proposed that he be brought up to the level (of pay) of the deputy county officials, which is what I recommend.”
“I disagree with that one,” Stuhr said, “because all of a sudden that means a seven percent increase for the veteran service officer, when we’re four percent with all the others. Here we go again.
“And I look at the weed department,” Stuhr continued, “and I don’t know if that needs to go up on a four percent increase because I’m not sure the salary is justified right now.”
“It has been the long-term goal of the committee to get the veteran service officer up to the deputy level,” Hankel said. “He’s in charge of that office, and has never had department-head wages. At least the deputy level is appropriate. This is the last jump (to achieve the deputy level pay), and then we’ll be happy with the recommendation. We’ve been trying to play catch-up for the last few years.”
“I understand where you are coming from,” Stuhr said. “But the county has graciously supplied the county with a service officer for years, a full-time officer, and the county’s given that position a full-time secretary. But to compare him to a deputy of an elected official is unjust, because a deputy elected official has to be able to step in as an elected official and the veteran service officer is not that caliber. He’s doing a wonderful job, but to compare him to that is not right.”
“I understand,” Hankel said. “We’re just looking at the responsibilities — he’s supervising the county aid fund, and there are a lot of different duties in there. Our thought was that with the responsibility level, it is a comparative figure.”
“I have a hard time with this,” Neujahr said. “We tell everyone else four percent and then we’ll give him a seven percent increase. I have a hard time doing that. We have to be applicable here.”
“Last year, with his over-time, it came to this amount,” Brown said. The veteran service officer, up until last year, has historically been a salaried position — but the board members changed that, forcing the need to pay overtime.
“Our deputies can’t get overtime, though,” Heine said. “He won’t be able to get overtime when we get him switched to salary,” Hankel said.
“I move that we approve what’s recommended,” Brown said, noting four percent across the board, with the exception of the veteran service officer who would increase by seven percent to get him to the same pay level as the deputy elected officials. “We need to get something going here.”
There was no second and the motion failed.
“I’d go with the recommendation, except for the veteran service officer,” Stuhr said. “Four percent, for him, like the rest of them.”
Neujahr seconded the motion.
“It’s a job that is not a regular 8-5,” Hankel said. “It’s always been salary and he volunteers his time to do all these things. All the other veteran service officers before him were salaried.”
Brown made a motion to amend the motion, going with a seven percent increase for the veteran service officer. Again, that motion failed due to lack of second.
“You guys sit here and talk,” Stuhr said, “hourly wage or salary? He’s now on hourly — are you trying to find a way to put him on salary?”
York County Attorney Tim Sieh said “we can update the job description, it needs to be updated, which would make a difference toward that position going to salary. There are things that can be changed to make it more accurate and that would give a stronger argument that it is an exempt position.”
“This needs to be resolved,” Stuhr said. “I was a little upset a while back when I saw Don (Sandman) was charging (money) to come to town to give a speech here (from his home). No other county employee can charge to come to the office.”
Hankel said that was not the case. “He didn’t charge to drive from home to the office. He went to the (event), it was in the evening. Our committee has agreed that because he’s called upon many evenings, he can charge mileage from home.”
“Commissioner Stuhr, it is probably justified because he was required to come back for a special meeting,” Brown said. “And it wasn’t at the courthouse.”
They took a vote — the four percent increase will hold true across the board, including for the veterans service officer.
