At the urging of Cache County Council Vice Chair Paul Borup (left) and Council Member Gordon Zilles (right), the Cache County Council will revisit the question of elected officials’ compensation in a public hearing on July 19.
CACHE COUNTY – After denying pay hikes to more than half of the county’s elected officials back in January, the Cache County Council will revisit that issue on July 19.
“It specifically came up for me for Craig,” said Paul Borup, the council vice chair, referring to Craig McAllister, the county treasurer. “He’s the best treasurer in the state of Utah and we need to make sure that he’s taken care of.”
“I don’t feel the same way about several of our elected officials that I feel about you,” Borup told McAllister at the regular meeting of the County Council on June 28.
“But, personal feeling aside, we should get the salaries right for them as much as it pains me to do so.”
Council member Gordon Zilles agreed.
“I think we made a mistake when we did that,” Zilles said, referring to the council’s Jan. 25 decision to deny pay raises to County Executive David Zook, Clerk/Auditor Jess Bradfield, Recorder Devron Anderson and McAllister. “I think we’ve got a good group.”
In January, the County Compensation Committee recommended that all county elected department heads receive the same 7 percent pay increase for 2022 as other county employees.
Members of the compensation committee also recommended a 20 percent pay hike for County Council members and a 31 percent for Council Chair Barbara Y. Tidwell.
Council members didn’t blink at their own proposed pay hike, but debate was heated over compensation for elected officials.
After much discussion, council member David Erickson suggested that a 7 percent pay raise might be appropriate for elected officials that are professionally qualified for their positions, but not for all elected officials.
In a motion, Erickson identified credentialed elected officials deserving of the 7 percent pay increase as the county attorney, the county assessor and the sheriff. His motion also indicated that 2021 compensation levels should be adequate for other county officials, including the county executive, the clerk/auditor, the county recorder and the county treasurer.
Although Zilles argued that those excluded officials were providing exemplary service to the county and its citizens, Erickson’s motion ultimately passed the council by a 5-to-2 vote.
Voting “yea” were Erickson, Zilles and Tidwell, as well as council members Nolan Gunnell and Barbara Worthen. Borup and council member Karl B. Ward voted against that motion.
Approval of that motion set compensation levels for council members at $16,000 annually – up from $13,332 – for a 20 percent increase. The 2022 compensation for the council’s chair was set at $20,000 (plus a $1,200 vehicle stipend) – up from $15,163 – for a 31 percent increase.
Annual compensation for County Attorney John Luthy was set at $146,467, up from $136,885; for County Assessor Kathleen Howell at $107,476, up from $100,444; and, Sheriff Chad Jensen at $113,640, up from $106,205.
Compensation for four other county officials remained at 2021 levels. They are Zook ($120,578), Bradfield ($97,968), Anderson ($93,039) and McAllister ($93,060).
Prior to that final Jan. 25 vote on compensation levels, Worthen emphasized that the decision to deny pay raises to some elected officials “wasn’t personal.”
At Borup’s urging, the council will schedule a public hearing on elected officials’ compensation levels on July 19.
“I would like to juice the treasurer a little bit more,” Borup admitted.