Pay raise proposed for Johnson County officials

IOWA CITY – Johnson County elected officials would receive salary increases of between 2 percent and 4 percent under a recommendation approved Tuesday night by the county's Compensation Board.

The board voted 7-0 in support of raises for the fiscal year that starts July 1 of 4 percent for county sheriff, 3 percent for the auditor and 2 percent for the attorney, recorder, treasurer and the five county supervisors.

The recommendation now goes to the county's Board of Supervisors for final approval. By law, the supervisors can only accept the proposal as is or decrease it, although they can lower their own salaries independent of the other elected officials' pay.

The supervisors are currently working on the county's budget for fiscal year 2012 and will take action on the Compensation Board's proposal at some point during those discussions

Last year, the Compensation Board recommended 2 percent pay increases, which the supervisors reduced to 1.45 percent. The year before, the supervisors let stand a recommendation for 3 percent raises.

The higher recommendations for the auditor and sheriff are an effort by the Compensation Board to get those positions in line with their peers statewide.

Johnson County is the state's fourth most populous county, and the its elected officials rank fourth in pay statewide except for the auditor at fifth and the sheriff at sixth.

Also affected by the Compensation Board's recommendation are about dozen deputies to the elected officials whose wages are tied to those of their bosses.

The elected officials often point to their deputies when asking for raises, and they did so again this year. Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek and Treasurer Tom Kriz said some of their supervisors make little more than the employees they oversee. Pulkrabek said he's had some people turn down promotions.

“Oftentimes the money isn't worth” the increased responsibilities, he said.

Employees in five of the county's six collective bargaining units will receive 3 percent wage increases effective July 1, although most will contribute more toward health-care costs. The county and the other unit, covering the Sheriff's Office, are scheduled to go before an arbitrator to decide next fiscal year's contract.

Under state law, the Compensation Board's job is to align Johnson officials' pay with those in comparable positions.