Columnist Jeff German: County pay raise vote is ill timed

Friday, June 27, 2003 | 5:36 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

June 28-29, 2003

Jeff German's column appears Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays in the Sun. Reach him at german@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4067.

YOUR COUNTY commissioners seem to have a poor sense of timing.

On Tuesday they plan to discuss giving themselves a hefty pay raise, as much as 26.7 percent of their current $54,000 annual salary over the next three years.

If the entire amount, which was authorized by the Legislature, is approved, each commissioner's salary eventually would increase to $68,391.

All seven commissioners probably deserve a raise. They haven't had one for eight years and although they technically have part-time jobs, most commissioners put in more than enough time to qualify for full-time pay.

But in these troubling fiscal and ethical times, what's the rush to the taxpayer trough?

Over the past year, the commissioners have made no secret that money is tight in the county. They took a hard line during contract talks with some 10,000 county employees, and they were forced to spend more than $70 million in capital improvement funds to keep University Medical Center afloat and the Regional Justice Center project on line.

County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, who is leading the charge for the salary hike, acknowledges the timing isn't good right now.

But he adds: "It's never a good time when you're called upon to raise anybody's salary because there are always going to be financial concerns."

Woodbury, who has served the longest on the commission, 22 years, says he believes the taxpayers will support a pay increase.

Records compiled by county staffers show that a half-dozen other counties, including Washoe, already have voted themselves a 26.7 percent raise.

But those counties aren't embroiled in an ethics controversy, such as the one in Las Vegas over whether commissioners can accept big-money contracts to lobby their colleagues the day they leave office. A special ethics task force has been meeting to toughen guidelines for the commissioners.

Other counties also haven't been embarrassed by an FBI investigation into allegations some commissioners may have taken money under the table from topless nightclub operators.

Woodbury makes the usual argument that the salary hike is needed to encourage quality candidates to run for the commission. It's a compelling argument in a system where the commissioners are truly full-time public servants and can't have any outside income.

It's not as compelling, however, in the current part-time system, where commissioners are allowed to earn money in other ways, such as through their professional jobs. Woodbury and Commissioners Mark James and Rory Reid, for example, all earn handsome salaries practicing law while serving the taxpayers. They just can't vote on matters involving their firms.

County commissioners also can have lucrative consulting contracts in addition to their commission salaries. This can lead to abuses that undermine the integrity of the elected officials. A federal investigation recently concluded that Dario Herrera received $50,000 in consulting fees from the Las Vegas Housing Authority while he served on the County Commission, but did no work for that money.

In the grand scheme of things, giving the commissioners their entire 26.7 percent raise isn't going to break the back of the taxpayers. It only will cost another $100,737.

But that's not the point here.

The commissioners should be more concerned right now about improving the integrity of the system in which they operate. There's plenty of time to make a money grab later.

They should let the ethics task force finish its work and then pass a tough ethics policy with some teeth in it before debating whether to give themselves a pay raise.

They should first demonstrate that they're willing to hold themselves more accountable for the money they receive from the public.