The Linn County Board of Supervisors today voted to reduce the compensation board’s recommendations for elected officials’ salaries for fiscal year 2016, which begins July 1, 2015.
On January 27, the compensation board recommended a three percent salary increase for the Board of Supervisors, Auditor, Recorder, Treasurer, and County Attorney. The compensation board also recommended a $10,000 increase to the base salary of the Sheriff to make the Sheriff’s salary commensurate with other top level law enforcement officials across the state and an additional 2.5 percent raise, for an equivalent of 10.4 percent raise for the Sheriff.
The Board of Supervisors today reduced the compensation board’s recommendations for all elected officials by 33.3 percent, which reduces the salary increase to two percent for the Board of Supervisors, Auditor, Recorder, Treasurer, and County Attorney, and 6.9 percent for the Sheriff.
The vote passed 3-2 with Supervisors John Harris, Jim Houser, and Linda Langston voting in favor, and Supervisors Brent Oleson and Ben Rogers, who both favored a lower salary increase, opposed. It was the third motion on the issue and represented a compromise of the two failed motions of a 16.7 percent reduction and a 66.7 percent reduction.
The salaries for Linn County elected officials were frozen in fiscal years 2010 and 2011. The Linn County Board of Supervisor positions are full-time.
About Compensation Boards
County compensation boards in Iowa are governed by Iowa Code sections 331.905 and 331.907. County compensation boards meet early in the year to issue recommended compensation for elected county officials to the county Board of Supervisors so that county budgets can be certified by March 15.
In making recommendations, the Iowa Code instructs compensation boards to review the compensation paid to comparable officers in other counties of the state, other states, private enterprise and the federal government and make their recommendations based on these comparables. Iowa code then requires the Board of Supervisors to review the recommended compensation and to determine the final compensation for all elected officials.
The compensation board is composed of seven members who are residents of Linn County. Per Iowa Code, two members of the compensation board are appointed by the Board of Supervisors; the Auditor, County Attorney, Recorder, Sheriff, and Treasurer each appoint one member for a total of seven.
The compensation boards of area counties have made the following recommendations for their elected officials. The recommendations may be approved or reduced by each county’s Board of Supervisors:
Black Hawk County: 3% for elected officials
Dubuque County: 5% for elected officials
Johnson County: 3% for elected officials plus an additional 1.5% for the Board of Supervisors
Scott County: 1.5% for elected officials