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Commissioners discuss 3.5%–4% recommendation for elected-official pay as county reviews employee impacts
Summary
Toole County officials debated recommending a 3.5%–4% increase to the base elected-official salary (stated as $67,000) and discussed how different approaches would affect employee raises, retention in the sheriff’s office, and insurance costs; the item was tabled for further discussion at the next meeting.
Toole County officials on Wednesday reviewed recommended percentage increases for elected officials’ pay and discussed the downstream effects on staff wages and benefits.
A staff member told the meeting the county’s base elected-official salary is $67,000 and summarized recent inflation figures—2.7% in December and roughly 4.2% as of May—cited by counties when setting raises. The same staff member said several counties recommended a 4% increase last year and that Missoula County had already approved 4% this cycle, in part because city police received large raises (9% last year and 8% this year), creating retention pressure for county deputies.
The discussion contrasted two pay systems: elected officials receive percentage-based raises tied to the stated base salary, while most county employees are on a graded pay scale that typically receives flat-dollar increases. Speakers warned that applying a straight percentage to graded employees could produce very small hourly increases for lower grades and cited a historical payroll rounding problem as a reason Toole County favors flat amounts for staff raises.
Commissioners and staff weighed several options—3%, 3.5% and 4%—noting that a 3% increase could amount to less than $1 an hour for some employees, while 3.5%–4% would push raises above that informal threshold. A participant also said county health insurance costs have risen and described the county contribution toward premiums as having increased by about $25 per month, while employees continue to pay the remainder of higher premiums.
Speakers characterized the county budget as healthy. Staff described the sheriff’s office pay structure as using internal multipliers: a dollar increase for the sheriff translates to smaller percentage equivalents for under-sheriff, chief deputy and deputies (examples cited in discussion included 98% for an under-sheriff, 95% for a chief deputy, and 85% for deputies). Participants said those multipliers mean sheriff’s staff typically receive larger raises in dollar terms than other employees when elected-official pay rises.
No formal motion or vote was taken. The meeting’s working recommendation was for a 3.5% increase to the elected-official base as the proposal to carry forward; participants agreed to revisit the item at the next meeting on the 29th.
The meeting included procedural items (attendance and the Pledge of Allegiance) and closed with scheduling reminders. No formal votes on compensation were recorded in the transcript.
