Raises for sheriff, DA OK’d, others denied

Thursday, March 6, 2003 | 9:28 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A Senate committee Wednesday approved a plan to give big pay raises to the Clark County sheriff and district attorney but balked at allowing pay increases for other county elected officials.

By a 4-3 vote, the Senate Government Affairs Committee agreed to increase the salary of the Clark County district attorney from $100,800 to $155,744 in phases over the next two years, and the salary of the sheriff from $84,000 to $134,262 over the same period.

There was no agreement on the committee to boost the salaries of the county commission, clerk, assessor, recorder, treasurer and public administrator.

Dan Musgrove, lobbyist for Clark County, said he was disappointed by the committee's action. He said he would work on a similar bill in the Assembly to try to get raises for all county elected officials.

County elected officials haven't had a pay raise since 1996. A bill in 2001 to boost their pay died on the last day of the session.

"We can't ask county officers to serve without some type of cost of living increases," Raggio said.

Voting against the motion Wednesday were Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson and Warren Hardy, R-Las Vegas. Hardy did support a motion to give all the elected officials a pay increase.

Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, said he would work up a bill to give the rest of the county officials, except the county commission, raises. Because the deadline has passed for introducing bills by committee, he would need a waiver from Raggio.