ELECTED OFFICIALS APPROVE 30% RAISE BY A 6-4 VOTE
Platte County elected officeholders have voted to increase salaries for county offices to $100,305 at the beginning of the next term of each office.
That’s a 30% percent increase in salary for the offices. Click on the graphic with this story for a summary of current salaries and what salaries will rise to at each elected position’s next term of office.
The decision came at a meeting of the Platte County Salary Commission on Thursday, Nov. 6 at the administration building. The salary commission, which is comprised of the current elected officeholders, meets every two years to consider salaries for the elected positions they hold. Per the state constitution, any salary increases cannot take effect until the next term of office begins for each office. In other words, until the current officeholder will have run for re-election.
Under state law, associate county commissioners must make $2,000 less than the presiding commissioner in annual salary. So salaries for the associate commissioners, following the election for the next term of office for associate commissioners, will be $98,305.
Actions of the salary commission do not affect the salaries of the county sheriff or the county prosecutor, as those salaries are established by the state of Missouri.
Thursday’s meeting began with the election of a chair to run the meeting. Sheila Palmer, county collector, made a motion for Jera Pruitt, county clerk, to be the chair. Kevin Robinson, auditor, seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Palmer made a motion to raise the base salary for each position by 30 percent. Robinson seconded the motion. It passed by a count of 6-4, with the following roll call results.
Yes votes: Palmer, Pruitt, Robinson, Shanna Burns, public administrator; Marcus Farr, assessor; Robinson; Chris Kendall, county treasurer.
No votes: Scott Fricker, presiding commissioner; Allyson Berberich, first district commissioner; Joe Vanover, second district commissioner; and Christopher Wright, recorder.
Sheriff Erik Holland was present at the meeting but abstained from voting on the motion, as the action does not affect his office’s salary. Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd was absent from the salary commission meeting, which is the way Zahnd has handled the situation in previous years. He has said he does not take part in the salary commission meetings due to the fact the action does not impact the salary of his elected position.
In another motion, Robinson moved that the county commission consider the officeholders to receive the same COLA (cost of living salary increase) that employees receive each year. Palmer seconded the motion and it carried by a 9-1 vote, with only Vanover opposing.
It was stressed that the county commission is under no obligation to authorize officeholders for this COLA increase. It is merely a recommendation.
There is also a legal question as to whether officeholders, as per the state constitution, are allowed to accept COLA increases during the course of a current term of office, or if whether any approved COLAs cannot take effect until the next term of office for each position.
REASONING BEHIND
THE MOTION FOR THE
INCREASE
Palmer opened the salary topic by saying she had a statement to open discussion.
“It is vitally important to keep officeholders engaged and willing to consider serving multiple terms. These offices are more complex than most people realize, and if this last year has taught us anything it is that each independent office is very connected to each other and that the impacts to the county are pervasive,” Palmer said.
“Office responsibilities only continue to grow and change in complex ways as legislation changes and piles on duties and requirements with no clear understanding. I believe it’s important to keep up with not only the changes in the job, but stay as competitive as possible as possible on compensation,” she continued.
“One way we can collectively invest in ourselves and a better county is through a needed salary increase. With that I would make the motion to raise the base salary by 30 percent for elected officials at the beginning of their next term. First and second district commissioners would continue to make $2,000 less than the presiding commissioner,” she said to conclude the reading of her statement.
Palmer didn’t specifically mention it, but it is known that the paperwork/application process/documentation for the county’s senior tax freeze program has increased the workload for multiple positions inside the administration building. Also, the recent state-ordered mandatory increase of assessed valuation for residential properties came late in the tax process, putting a load on some offices.
Pruitt then asked Robinson if he had any data points in how the state has handled salaries for prosecutors and sheriffs in recent years. Robinson answered that in the past five years the state-set salary amount of the prosecutor has gone up roughly 27 percent. For sheriffs, Robinson said he believes that number over the past five years has totaled an increase of 48 percent.
RECORDER, FRICKER CHIME IN
Shortly after the meeting, Chris Wright, county recorder took to his Platte County Recorder of Deeds Facebook account to express his feelings on the matter.
“This afternoon, the Platte County elected officials voted to increase their salaries by 30 percent. No that isn’t a typo. . .three zero, 30!” Wright wrote.
“I think this is an egregious fleecing of the taxpayers and I voted no, along with Scott Fricker, Platte County presiding commissioner; Commissioner Vanover and Commissioner Berberich, with Sheriff Holland abstaining,” he continued.
“30%? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could vote for your own pay raises? We need to take care of our employees and the people. . .not politicians,” Wright stated in his Facebook post.
Fricker shared Wright’s message on his Scott Fricker, Platte County Presiding Commissioner Facebook page. Fricker posted that he agreed with the recorder’s comments.
