Committee advances plan to raise county elected officials' pay toward $116,662 target

The Finance & Personnel Committee approved moving forward a resolution to adjust compensation for elected officials, with the proposal aiming to raise a 2026 baseline salary of $103,000 toward approximately $116,662.48 by 2029.

Committee Chair Dr. Luis Moreno summarized outreach he had received and said he would move the item forward for further discussion rather than finalize it immediately. County Board Chair Richard Brunk told members the recommended increases were calculated using a dollar‑amount approach tied to chief deputies’ past raises and projected COLAs. "That is what got us to the ‘should be’ number of last year," Brunk said, describing the methodology used to reach the target.

Opposition and concern about timing and equity came from Dr. Rodney Simmer, who emphasized local taxpayers' burden and noted that some neighbors saw large EAV increases. "These are the taxpayers that are paying this 6.8% increase," Simmer said while urging caution about broader employee compensation comparisons. Legal counsel (States Attorney Dora Villareal) clarified later that general discussion of elected‑official compensation may occur in open session so long as the committee does not discuss the pay of a specific non‑elected employee.

The motion to move the compensation resolution forward carried; members recorded as voting yes in the transcript were Brian Vyncke, Kai Swanson, Edna Sowards and Bob Perkins. The committee did not finalize the full implementation schedule at the meeting; staff were directed to prepare comparative data for future consideration.