Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elected Official Salaries topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Scotts Bluff County officials begin negotiations on 2027–2030 elected-official pay; initial double-digit bump proposed
Summary
Elected officials and county leaders opened formal negotiations on pay for 2027–2030. A representative for five elected offices proposed a one-time, double-digit (roughly 13%) initial increase to reach a NACo "slice index" benchmark, followed by smaller annual raises or guaranteed COLAs; the county attorney offered a separate proposal and the sheriff said he will provide numbers soon.
Scotts Bluff County commissioners began public negotiations on pay for county elected officials on the first agenda item of a regularly scheduled meeting, with proponents seeking an initial benchmark adjustment and multi-year guidance ahead of a Jan. 15, 2026 deadline to adopt a resolution. "This resolution needs to be approved on or before 01/15/2026," a presenter said during the discussion.
Darla, speaking on behalf of five elected offices (assessor, clerk, register of deeds, treasurer and the presenter’s office), said the group used pages 29–30 of a NACo salary study and a county "slice index" to identify comparable counties and determine benchmarks. She said the five offices are currently paid at a level that has slipped behind peers and described an initial "double digit bump" — roughly a 13% increase in the first adjustment — to bring those positions in line with the benchmark. She said for years two through four the group favors either a 5% annual increase or a lower annual percentage paired with a guaranteed cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to maintain competitiveness.
A number of commissioners asked clarifying questions about methodology, including whether the NACo figures reflect base pay or include step increases; meeting discussion indicated the figures cited were base salaries. Participants also discussed which counties were used for the comparison (Adams, Buffalo, Dawson, Dodge, Gage, Madison, Platte and Scottsbluff were named) and the implication that moving the five offices upward would affect future benchmarking for other counties.
County Attorney (Speaker 4) presented a separate salary proposal for his office, saying he proposed $135,000 for 2027 and $140,000 for 2028–2030 (with any future COLA to be determined by the county). He justified the request by citing heavier caseloads and fewer deputy attorneys in Scotts Bluff compared with peer counties. "I think that gets you to a rate that is fair for the county attorney," he said.
The sheriff (Speaker 8) said he did not have firm numbers at the meeting but pledged to provide a detailed salary proposal soon. "I will get those numbers to you within the next week," he said, and warned that law-enforcement pay has risen significantly in recent years, which affects internal pay relationships.
Board members also raised other items that affect elected-official compensation: the county surveyor’s statutory annual salary was noted as $3,000 with the surveyor contracting for additional services; commissioners reviewed their own pay (the transcript lists commissioners at about $24,893 and the chairman at about $27,382) and several said they would not seek raises for themselves at this time.
The board approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session by roll-call vote and reserved the right to go into executive session later if needed. Commissioners and officials agreed to reconvene the salary discussion at the next meeting to meet the January 15 deadline.
What's next: The county must adopt a resolution on elected-official salaries on or before Jan. 15, 2026; the sheriff will submit his proposed numbers, and staff were asked to circulate the NACo salary materials and any additional benchmarking documentation to commissioners ahead of the next meeting.
