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Supervisors debate countywide pay adjustments, county attorney and sheriff compensation in budget talks
Summary
Board members discussed possible countywide salary increases and specific proposals for key elected officials and staff; county attorney and sheriff pay proposals drew particular attention as the board weighed competitiveness, budget limits and service continuity.
Supervisors spent significant time reviewing countywide salary scenarios and several individual offices that supervisors said are hard to staff, including the county attorney and sheriff’s office.
Board members discussed general-percentage options for wage increases — staff referenced draft options of about 3.0–4.2% and specific proposals such as a 4% baseline or a 3.75% across-the-board increase. Lisa (county staff) explained budgets will be adjusted to whatever wage increase the board ultimately authorizes and that staff can run the payroll scenarios and return updated totals.
The county attorney’s proposed budget and recruitment needs were a focus. Supervisors cited the county attorney’s current salary figure of about $107,000 and a proposed increase to roughly $119,000. Several members said hiring and retaining a full-time county attorney — and supporting assistant coverage — is a priority given workload and local circumstances, including the presence of the county correctional facility.
The board also discussed sheriff’s office and jail staffing and pay. County staff noted alternative models (e.g., differential or dollar-per-hour adjustments for jail staff) and said the sheriff’s office may request targeted increases to compete for qualified deputies. Board members asked staff to test multiple scenarios: (a) a general-percent increase for most county employees, (b) targeted increases where recruitment and retention risks are greatest, and (c) the fiscal effect of those choices on the county’s fund balance ahead of final adoption.
Supervisors and staff agreed to run additional payroll scenarios and to meet again for focused budget sessions before the March adoption deadline. No final compensation decisions were made during this meeting; staff will return with updated numbers to support a decision.
