Committee approves Clerk of Courts pay schedule change despite chairman’s opposition

The Oneida County Executive Committee voted Feb. 4 to set the County Clerk of Courts’ pay for 2027–2030, placing the position on the county wage schedule at grade O to match previously approved levels for comparable elected offices.

The change, explained to the committee by Hartman, is intended to align the Clerk of Courts’ pay with the County Clerk, Register of Deeds and Treasurer. Hartman said the current proposal updates years and embeds the Clerk of Courts into the county wage schedule at grade O.

Robb Jensen moved to approve the resolution and Dan Hess seconded. Chairman Billy Fried said he was fundamentally opposed to tying the Clerk of Courts’ compensation to the wage schedule, raising concerns that linking the position to the schedule could present problems in the future and saying he would not support the resolution. Scott Holewinski expressed support for the measure. The committee recorded 5 ayes, 1 nay, and 1 absent (Showalter), and the motion carried.

Why it matters: placing the Clerk of Courts on the wage schedule changes how future pay adjustments for that position will be handled and aligns its structure with other county offices. The committee did not specify the exact dollar amounts in the meeting minutes; the resolution places the job at grade O on the county schedule, and the minutes indicate the change follows prior pay decisions for similar offices.

Next steps: The minutes record the committee’s approval; the resolution will be processed according to county procedures for implementing pay changes.