Benton County compensation board recommends mixed raises for elected officials; supervisors decline increase

At a meeting of the Benton County Compensation Board, members debated whether to give across-the-board percentage raises, department-by-department adjustments or flat-dollar stipends and ultimately approved a package of recommended increases for several elected officials while recommending no raise for supervisors.

Board members spent the meeting weighing two basic approaches: a uniform percentage increase that compounds across years and a merit or flat-dollar approach intended to show actual dollar changes to taxpayers. Several members said a flat dollar amount is more transparent to the public than a percentage. County staff warned that a recurring percentage increase compounds each year and can quickly add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the payroll budget.

Discussion focused on three recurring budget questions: whether increases should include benefits (the board’s legal guidance said compensation recommendations should track salary only), whether department heads can individually reallocate allocations for deputies under a capped percentage rule, and whether the county can afford sizable raises given state limits on levy growth.

The board reviewed specific mechanics used for deputies: several speakers noted deputies are paid as a percentage of their principal elected official’s salary and said local practice caps most deputies at 85 percent of the principal’s pay. County staff provided examples showing how a flat-dollar increase for a principal office would be converted back into the corresponding deputy percentages.

Members also discussed recruitment and retention pressures in particular offices. The county attorney’s office received repeated attention because of competition with private practice and the pay for court-appointed criminal contract attorneys; members cited a contract rate of roughly $76 per hour for assigned counsel and noted a pending legislative bill could raise those rates further.

After debate, the board put the following recommended amounts on the table and approved them by voice vote: supervisors — $0 (no increase); auditor — $3,000; treasurer — $28,100; county attorney — $6,000; sheriff — $4,000; recorder — $28,100. A motion to adopt those figures was made, seconded and carried by voice vote. The minutes record the motion’s passage but do not list a roll-call tally.

The board voted to forward the recommendation package to the Board of Supervisors; supervisors will review the Compensation Board’s recommendations as part of the county’s budgetary process and have final authority over appropriations and the levy. Members noted the county’s revenue outlook is affected by state property tax rules that can force levy reductions if taxable valuations grow beyond specified thresholds, and by several locally held revenue changes (for example, new or increased fees tied to motor-vehicle transactions and recording fees being considered by the recorder’s office).

The meeting closed with members asking staff to assemble a clearer, department-level package for the Board of Supervisors that shows the dollar impacts and the derivation of deputy percentages.