Linn County supervisors hear pay requests from elected officials; budget staff estimate $659,000 offer pot

LINN COUNTY, Iowa — On Jan. 24 the Linn County Board of Supervisors, serving this year as the county's compensation board, heard recommendations from county elected officials on pay increases for themselves and deputies as the board prepares to set final compensation levels at a meeting next week.

County budget staff told the board that the FY26 budget currently includes a 4% placeholder for elected-official pay, which produces an "offer pot" of about $659,000. No formal vote on compensation was taken during the Jan. 24 meeting; board members said they will decide a final percentage at a Monday meeting and staff agreed to run alternate scenarios if asked.

The pay requests presented to the board varied by office. Treasurer Brent Olsen told supervisors that his office submitted what he described as "it is a 5% recommendation," and asked the board to consider deputies tied to the treasurer's salary when evaluating the request. Recorder Carolyn (last name not specified) said the recorder's office proposed a "pros range anywhere from 4 to 5% budget pending" and described daily workloads and staffing (14 total staff, 10 clerks, multiple office divisions) to justify the request. Auditor Todd Taylor said his proposed wage package matches the budget document at 4% for his office.

County Attorney Nick Maybanks urged a larger increase for his office, saying the office requested a "6.83 raise" to align recent percentage increases with those given to county attorneys in Iowa's 10 most populous counties; Maybanks presented comparative data and deputy staffing. Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner presented spreadsheets of statutory comparables and said the statutory language in Senate File 2442 requires specific comparisons; Gardner said the comparables imply "about an 8.02% salary increase that would be mandated, by Senate file 2,442." Gardner provided salary comparisons by population, budget and number of sworn staff and noted changes in comparator chief-of-police salaries affect relative rank.

Budget director Sarah Barrows and finance staff told the board that any increase above the 4% placeholder would reduce the approximately $659,000 offer pot available within the current general-fund budget; she also said money for requested vehicles has been identified in the FY26 budget and in one-time funds, separate from the offer pot. Barrows added that projected revenue growth was modest but sufficient this year to produce the offer pot at the 4% placeholder. Staff also noted a modest estimated levy-rate decrease of about 1.6 cents because of lower debt-service payments.

Supervisors and staff discussed process and timing: HR said it could run alternate percentage scenarios (for example, 4.5%) within a few hours if given notice; the board said it expects to set compensation at a formal meeting Monday and continued budget-review meetings are scheduled through early February if needed. No motions or votes on compensation were made on Jan. 24.

Why it matters: the board's decision will set pay for elected officials and their deputies and will determine how much of the budgeted offer pot is spent on raises versus other budgetary offers. The sheriff's request is tied to a state statute (Senate File 2442) that specifies comparables for setting sheriff pay; other offices cited local comparators, workload and retention concerns.