Legislators mull timing of proposed pay raise

Erin Neff

Wednesday, April 4, 2001 | 11:08 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Should Clark County commissioners get a 39 percent pay raise in the midst of a softening economy?

That question dominated legislators' concerns this morning as testimony opened into Assembly Bill 256, a measure that would increase salaries for all elected officials in Nevada's 17 counties.

"Is it a prudent time to be asking for these kinds of increases when we are possibly looking at a recession?" asked Kathy Von Tobel, R-Las Vegas.

Robert Hatfield, executive director of the Nevada Association of Counties, told the Assembly Government Affairs Committee the increases were needed because elected officials haven't gotten a raise in six years.

By state law, county elected officials cannot raise their own salaries.

AB256 would give Clark County commissioners a raise from $54,000 to $75,000 a year -- the highest raise statewide due to the reconfiguration of the base salary used to justify their proposed raise.

Clark County lobbyist Jim Spinello said the 1995 commissioner salary of $54,000 was increased using the average cost of living adjustment plus an average 3 percent merit raise given county employees. The analysis from 1995 to July 2000 put the proposed increase at $75,433.

Spinello said that figure would obviously be higher if the analysis were extended to July, the date in which the proposed raise is to take effect. Instead, NACO settled on a figure of $75,000, just less than a 40 percent raise for the period.

"We thought that was something that was sellable," Spinello said.

County assessors, district attorneys, sheriffs and clerks all testified the tremendous growth has increased their responsibilities and stressed their staffs.

Other salary increases in Clark County would be as follows:

District attorney would increase from $100,800 to $145,000; sheriff would go from $84,000 to $125,000 and county clerk, assessor, recorder, treasurer and public administrator would each get raises from their current $72,000 salary to $107,610 a year.

The bill also requires an annual salary increase on July 1 of each year after the measure takes effect. The increase would be the lesser of the average percentage of all county employees' raises the previous fiscal year or the percentage by which the average industrial hourly wage in the county increased during the previous fiscal year.

In Washoe County, commissioner salaries would move from $39,600 to $60,000; the district attorney would go from $96,000 to $128,000 and the sheriff from $78,000 to $103,000.

Assemblywoman Merle Berman, R-Las Vegas, wondered how counties could afford the increases given the slowing economy.

Hatfield said the counties have budgeted for the increases but can opt to waive out of the salary increases if they do not have the financial means to offer them. He also said the increases statewide were recommended by the Governor's Salary Compensation Task Force.

But the increase for county commissioners led lawmakers to question whether the current seven-person board and part-time status is meeting the community's needs.

"I don't think we're ready for professional commissioners yet," said Assemblyman John Lee, D-Las Vegas.

Spinello said Clark County commissioners serve on 14 to 18 boards, ranging from 197 to 221 meetings annually. That doesn't include time spent preparing for meetings or talking with constituents or other elected officials.

The committee had not yet voted on the bill this morning.