County employees won't get pay raises
Flathead County employees won’t get cost-of-living raises this year, the county commissioners decided Tuesday.
The decision follows a continuing budget directive to hold the line on county spending. While a resolution passed by the commissioners refers to elected officials, the same directive applies to all county employees, according to Flathead County Human Resource Director Raeann Campbell.
However, some elected officials will get a salary “adjustment” — an increase provided by state law.
Each year, the state-mandated county Salary Compensation Board makes salary recommendations for elected officials and sheriff’s deputies.
For the fiscal year from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011, the board has recommended that the county make the adjustments provided in state law giving the sheriff, county commissioners, clerk and recorder and county treasurer $2,000 increases and the superintendent of schools a $400 increase.
Figuring salaries for elected officials is more complicated in an election year, when in some cases an official with longevity will be replaced by someone with less experience.
For example, Sheriff Mike Meehan’s current salary is $73,077, of which $10,842 is longevity compensation for his almost 19 years in the department. The $2,000 adjustment is not included in calculating Meehan’s longevity, Campbell said.
Sheriff’s deputies this week will get a $451,570 payout to settle a long-running lawsuit against Flathead County over past wages, County Administrative Officer Mike Pence said.
Deputies filed suit in October 2006 to recover money never paid because their salaries were miscalculated. Of the settlement amount, the plaintiffs — a group of some sheriff’s deputies — will get $237,000, while the non-plaintiffs (deputies not involved in the lawsuit) will get $136,360. The county will pay $78,210 in attorney fees.
In July 2006 the county began figuring deputy salaries based on the sheriff’s salary plus the $2,000 state adjustment, Campbell said, but deputies’ longevity still was being miscalculated.
In January 2009 the county began giving deputies longevity pay based on rank.
The new sheriff, likely Chuck Curry, who won the primary election and is unopposed in the general election, would start with a base salary of $35,117 for the first six months of 2011. The second half of Curry’s annual salary would be determined a year from now.
According to state law, the county sheriff must receive a longevity payment amounting to 1 percent of the salary for each year of service with the Sheriff’s Office.
The two Justice of the Peace positions also have been split to reflect the new elected officials.
In Justice of the Peace Department 1, the county will pay Judge David Ortley $39,098 to serve out the rest of his term, from now until Dec. 31. The incoming justice of the peace will be paid $35,544 for the first six months of 2011.
Ortley is not running for re-election to Justice Court; instead he is running for a new District Court judge position.
In Justice of the Peace Department 2, Judge Mark Sullivan will be paid $36,610 for the last half of 2010, and he’d get $36,966 for the first half of 2011 if he’s re-elected. If he loses, his successor will get paid $35,544 from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2011 and he’ll receive a longevity adjustment in January.
Clerk and Recorder Paula Robinson, who also is unopposed in the November election, will earn $62,235 for the coming year; that includes a $2,000 state adjustment for her duties as election administrator, Campbell said.
Other elected officials salaries are $95,895 for the county attorney; $60,635 for county superintendent of schools; $62,235 for county commissioner; $60,235 for clerk of district court and $62,235 for county treasurer/assessor.
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com