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Cascade County Compensation Board recommends 3.5% pay increase for elected officials; County Attorney to receive additional 0.5%
Summary
At a May 20 special meeting, the Cascade County Compensation Board recommended a 3.5% salary increase for elected officials, voted to apply the same increase to the sheriff, and approved a separate 0.5 percentage‑point boost for the County Attorney after reviewing COLA scenarios and budget projections.
The Cascade County Compensation Board on May 20 recommended a 3.5% salary increase for elected county officials, set the sheriff's raise equal to that amount, and approved a separate 0.5 percentage‑point increase for the County Attorney, the board decided during a special meeting in the Commission chambers and via Zoom.
The action followed presentations from Chief Financial Officer Trista Besich and HR Director Jeff Mora, who reviewed the board's statutory role, COLA scenarios and projected fiscal impacts for FY2027. Besich presented cost calculators estimating payroll implications for deputies, elected officials and non‑union employees; Mora summarized longevity pay for sheriff’s deputies and noted rising costs from health premiums and collective bargaining agreements.
Citizen member Neal Dubois made the initial motion to raise elected officials' salaries by 2.6%, seconded by Citizen member Lee Diedrich. Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki proposed amending that figure to 4.0%, seconded by Treasurer Diane Heikkila. Dubois then offered a subsequent amendment setting the increase at 3.5%, which the board approved 10‑0; that 3.5% figure became the board's recommendation for elected officials.
On the sheriff's pay, Dubois moved that no additional recommendation be made beyond the elected‑official increase (meaning the sheriff would receive the same 3.5%); the motion, seconded by Diedrich, passed 10‑0. Later, Sheriff Jesse Slaughter moved to increase the County Attorney's salary by an additional 0.5 percentage points above the elected‑official recommendation; Dubois seconded and the motion carried 10‑0, effectively placing the County Attorney's total recommended increase at 4.0%.
Chairman James Larson opened and closed the meeting; Margaret Mitchell was appointed to chair the session by an 11‑0 vote early in the proceedings. The written minutes note a power outage and technical difficulties that split the meeting record into two parts; the audio remains the official record. No members of the public offered comment during the public‑comment period.
The board's votes were recorded as motions and recommendations in the meeting minutes; the minutes and audio are the official record under Montana law (MCA 2‑3‑212(1) and MCA 7‑4‑2611(2)(b)). The Compensation Board's recommendations will be reflected in the official minutes; the transcript does not assert final adoption by any separate action beyond the recorded motions and votes.
