Belknap County delegation approves raises for register of deeds, county attorney and high sheriff after public testimony on staffing

The Belknap County delegation voted on a series of salary changes for elected offices after hearing public comment about staffing and workload in the Register of Deeds office.

Laura Le Point, who identified herself as the current register of deeds, told the delegation the office has seen rising document volume (about a 10% increase the first year and about 9% this year) and operates with a very small staff: “It takes — we need at least three people to run the office,” she said, explaining a deputy will retire in July and the office has only two seasoned full‑time staff in addition to herself.

The executive committee presented its recommendation to raise two positions: the county attorney to $109,038 (a 3.3% cost‑of‑living adjustment plus a 3.6% step) and the high sheriff to $88,727. After discussion and an amendment from Delegates to include the register of deeds in the executive committee recommendation, the floor voted to separate the three questions and consider each individually.

Votes at a glance - Register of Deeds: Amendment to add the register and set salary at $80,449.73 over the next two years — passed, recorded vote 12–0. - County Attorney: Executive recommendation to raise the county attorney’s salary to $109,038 over two years — passed, recorded vote 7–5. An amendment to limit the increase to COLA only (removing the step) failed, 5–8. - High Sheriff: Executive recommendation to raise the high sheriff’s salary to $88,727 — passed, recorded vote 10–2.

Supporters said the register’s office is revenue‑generating and understaffed; one former register who spoke noted long stretches without past salary adjustments and urged pay parity to retain experience. Members who opposed larger increases cited concern about taxpayer burden amid difficult economic conditions and urged caution on adding step increases for positions that are not unionized.

Several members compared Belknap County’s pay to neighboring counties while debating fairness for the sheriff’s post, which delegates said must cover heavy seasonal law‑enforcement demands tied to tourism and events.

Following the votes, the delegation recorded the increases and moved on to other agenda items. The actions approved are pending whatever final administrative steps are required to update pay schedules; the delegation did not specify a separate effective date beyond the stated “over the next two years.”