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Lander County commissioners approve raise for Austin justice of the peace to $71,000
Summary
The board voted to increase the Austin Justice of the Peace salary to $71,000 and retain a 3% cost-of-living line in the budget after discussion about caseloads, parity with the other justice court and precedent for future raises.
Lander County commissioners voted May 22 to raise the salary of the Austin Justice of the Peace to $71,000 and to keep a 3% cost-of-living adjustment in the budget.
The proposal drew an extended discussion about caseload differences, parity across county offices and the precedent a large increase could set. Judge Gendoffel, who spoke in favor of the change, told the commission she was not seeking “special consideration” but asked the county to apply its stated equality policy to her office: “I am not requesting special consideration for myself or my position, only that this commission's policy of equality apply to me as well.”
Commissioners who supported the increase said the Austin court’s responsibilities have grown and that the position is effectively full time. Others raised concerns that applying a large percentage raise could prompt similar requests across departments in future budget cycles. Commissioners also cited comparisons presented during the meeting: the Austin justice court’s revenue through the current period was listed in correspondence as $60,561.32 compared with $200,841 for the Battle Mountain justice court.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to set the Austin justice of the peace salary at $71,000 with the 3% cost-of-living increase retained in the budget; the motion passed by voice vote. The motion text and the final dollar amount were recorded in the meeting minutes. The county did not record a roll-call tally in the meeting transcript included in the record.
