Bill would set Jefferson County tax assessor, collector base pay at 10% above top merit-system employee

Supporters described a local bill that would set the base annual salary of Jefferson County's tax assessor and tax collector at 10% above the highest annual salary of any merit-system employee in the respective office, with the change to begin Oct. 1, 2027.

A speaker summarized the proposal: rather than tying the elected officials' pay to a fixed dollar figure, the bill would establish a percentage (10%) above the highest-paid merit-system employee in the tax assessor's or tax collector's office so the elected official would "always have make 10% more than the highest pay[ed] employee in their respective office," according to the transcript. Supporters said the proposal came to the legislator from the county and that Representative Faulkner had worked on the matter.

A committee member asked how the 10% figure was chosen; a speaker identified in the record as Neil Morrison said the 10% was proposed to ensure the elected official's pay remained above the highest-paid merit employee rather than using a fixed dollar amount tied to the county personnel board or merit system.

The transcript records that the base salary "may not decrease after October first of 2027"; the exact statutory text or bill number was not included in the provided record. The matter was placed among local bills in the session; the transcript does not show a final vote or adoption in this excerpt.

Supporters framed the change as a structural adjustment to preserve relative pay levels between elected officials and career staff; the transcript contains questions from committee members about the mechanics and origin of the percentage.