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Kossuth County supervisors set budget targets: sheriff 7%, other elected officials 4%
Summary
After a lengthy discussion of the compensation board's recommendations, the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors approved budget targets that would raise the sheriff's pay by 7% and raise other elected officials by 4% for planning purposes, passing the measure 3-2.
Kossuth County supervisors voted 3-2 on Jan. 2 to set budgetary salary targets for elected officials that the auditor will use to build the county's fiscal 2025-26 budget. The board approved a 7% increase for the county sheriff and a 4% increase for other elected officials and countywide elected offices for budget-planning purposes.
The vote followed more than an hour of discussion that reviewed the county's compensation-board recommendation, comparisons of peer counties and state law changes that altered how the board can set salaries. The compensation board had recommended larger increases for several offices, including an 11% recommendation for the sheriff and 6% for most other elected officials; supervisors said they wanted a more modest starting point for budget planning.
Supervisors split during roll-call voting. On the amendment that set the higher sheriff figure, Supervisor roll-call recorded: Haas voted No; Garman Yes; Wachter Yes; Matt Yes; Stecker No. After carrying the amendment 3-2, the full motion (amended) was approved in a subsequent roll call: Haas No; Garman Yes; Wachter Yes; Natt Yes; Stecker No. The board's clerk recorded the outcome as a 3-2 majority in favor.
Why it matters: the board's decision does not immediately raise paychecks. Supervisors said the numbers are guidance for departmental budget submissions and that final salaries will be set during the formal budget process and the county budget hearing later in the spring. Several supervisors stressed they wanted numbers the county could live with in conservative forecasts and left open the option to revisit increases when final revenue and levy calculations are complete.
Background and debate: county staff and Tom Ristau, who presented comparative data at the compensation-board meeting, walked supervisors through statewide salary comparisons, health insurance premium data and local population and taxable valuation trends that helped inform the compensation board's recommendation. Much of the sheriff's justification tied to recruiting and retention: supervisors noted the sheriff had reported difficulty hiring and mentioned training costs and contract buyouts paid by other jurisdictions for recruits. At least one supervisor said the sheriff's office has unique, 24-hour scheduling demands that warrant a larger increase than other elected offices.
Board next steps: the supervisors asked the auditor to incorporate the 7%/4% figures into the preliminary budget worksheets and return with numbers, noting the March 1 deadline to file budget figures with the state's Department of Management. Several supervisors said they expected to re-examine the figures during budget workshops and could change any figure before final adoption.
Actions recorded from the meeting: The board recorded a motion (main motion, amended) to set salary targets for budget planning at 7% for the sheriff and 4% for other elected officials. The amendment and the final motion passed by 3-2 roll-call votes. The motion was listed on the agenda as the board's response to the Kossuth County Compensation Board recommendation; the compensation-board recommendation itself was entered into the record and summarised but not enacted as-is.
Ending: Supervisors said the decision was intended to balance competitiveness for key positions with the county's fiscal constraints and that department heads should use the approved targets when preparing line-item budget requests for the coming weeks.
