Sheriff's representative urges board to set pay at comp-board recommendation, cites Iowa statute

Michael Keener, speaking on behalf of Sheriff Kilberg, told the Jackson County Board of Supervisors the compensation board recommended an "11 and 0.5 percent increase" for the sheriff and asked the board to set the sheriff's FY27 salary at that level.

"The comp board looked at those numbers and came up with an 11 and 0.5 percent increase," Keener said, and argued that the county's posted budget increases were insufficient to meet the statutory comparability standard he cited (spoken in the meeting as "3 31.9071" / "3 31 9 0 7"). Keener warned that if the board did not adopt a salary within that comparability range, "Jackson County will be in violation of the law" and asked the supervisors to "follow the law of the state of Iowa, just as [the sheriff] enforces it for all the residents of Jackson County."

County Attorney Brian Donnelly told the board the compensation board's recommendation is part of the record but not controlling: "The question before the board is not whether to adopt a specific percentage recommended by the compensation board, but whether the final salary set by this board satisfies the statutory comparability requirement." Donnelly advised the board to weigh comparator data and to ensure the board's reasoning is reflected in the record so the final salary can be shown to meet the statute's comparability standard.

The board later placed the compensation board recommendation on file as part of the budget proceedings and approved the FY27 budget resolution that incorporated compensation-board recommendations with adjustments. The meeting record shows the board accepted the comp-board materials for the record but -- per Donnelly's advice -- must document how the final salary meets the statutory standard if it sets a different figure.