18% pay raise cap recommended for Johnson County elected officials

The Johnson County Compensation Board is recommending a salary increase of 18 percent for county elected officials in an effort to remain competitive with other counties’ salaries and be in line with state law changes.

The board voted 6-0 last week, with Chair Joe Moreland abstaining, in favor of the increase for fiscal 2023, which takes effect July 1. The increase was the same across the board for the county auditor, treasurer, recorder, sheriff, attorney and supervisors.

The recommendation will go to the Board of Supervisors for formal approval. The board can approve the recommendation or decrease it. The board also can lower its own salaries independent of the other elected officials’ pay.

“I think it's always important to point out that we really just set the cap, the top, and then the Board of Supervisors could do as they please,” said Ryan From, compensation board vice chair.

If the 18 percent is approved, the salary change would be:

During the compensation board’s meeting last year discussing fiscal 2022, a 2.75 percent increase was recommended and approved. The 2.75 percent increase was the lowest increase since fiscal 2012, when the supervisors approved an average 1.27 percent increase, according to the Iowa State Association of Counties salary survey.

The highest average percent increase — because some elected officials received more of an increase than others — approved in recent years was 6.18 percent in fiscal 2017.

Reasons for increase

In discussing raises, board members noted an increased workload for elected officials due to the pandemic and the increased cost of living.

From said three takeaways — having to do with the county attorney, sheriff and auditor — caught his attention while elected officials spoke at the meeting.

County Attorney Janet Lyness said she has been misinterpreting a salary cap she thought the attorney had.

Lyness said she thought county attorney salaries couldn’t be higher than district court judges. But that cap is only when a county attorney is appointed to fill a vacancy and when the county has fewer than 200,000 people, she said.

She asked for this discrepancy to be taken into consideration when setting her salary for the next fiscal year since she hasn’t accepted previous increases in full because she did not think she allowed to. She also mentioned how her office has been competing with Linn County for hiring assistant county attorneys.

Changes to state law under the “Back the Blue” bill passed last year have an impact on the sheriff’s salary. According to the legislation, a county compensation board has to set the sheriff’s salary so it is comparable to what State Patrol and city police chiefs make in cities of similar population to the population of the county.

Auditor Travis Weipert brought up changes to state law. Under new legislation, it’s a felony for auditors or other election officials to violate voting guidance from the Iowa secretary of state. Auditors can face a $10,000 fine for failing to carry out state election law.

Weipert said this financial penalty would come out of his pocket if something were to happen. It wouldn’t be paid by an insurance company, and he would have to hire his own lawyer, he said.

Weipert brought up neighboring Washington County, which raised the pay for elected officials by at least 20 percent, and how that increase “pushes them right on our heels.”

Other increases approved include Black Hawk County, which approved a 15 percent increase for the sheriff, 7.5 percent increase for the attorney and 3.375 percent increase for other elected officials.

“When we have other counties around us nipping on our heels salary-wise, it's time for us to boost the salary and keep not us electeds but our deputies,” Weipert said.

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