Curry County appoints three to compensation committee, acknowledges elected-official pay lag

The Curry County Board of Commissioners on March 25 appointed Commissioners Trost, Hollinger and Coker to the county's compensation committee and discussed the committee's role in reviewing elected-official pay.

The action followed a motion by a board member and passed unanimously after a short discussion. Commissioner Coker voted "Aye," Commissioner Hollinger voted "Yes," and the chair indicated agreement.

The board discussed that the compensation committee is a recommending body that makes proposals to the budget committee, which in turn makes recommendations to the board. The chair said the committee had not convened in 2023 and that "we really do need to do this for our electeds who have not received compensation adjustments since 2023." The chair also said the board retains authority to set full-time-equivalent positions and compensation within budget constraints.

Commissioners noted the county is not competitive with peer counties on pay for positions such as the sheriff's office, planning, and other roles, and that the compensation committee's work is intended to inform improvements. Walt Keys was mentioned as an existing committee member; the board said Keys' presence provides a quorum until additional appointees are named.

The board clarified the committee's scope: it pertains only to elected positions, not to staff pay. The motion to appoint Commissioners Trost, Hollinger and Coker to the compensation committee passed without recorded opposition.

The board did not set a schedule for the committee's first meeting at the March 25 session. The discussion closed with commissioners expressing a desire to review comparative pay schedules from other counties and to move forward with recommendations to the budget committee.