Senate approves raises for county officials

Thursday, May 22, 2003 | 9:20 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A plan to give all county elective officials except county commissioners a pay raise in July was approved by the Senate Wednesday on a voice vote.

The issue of raising the pay of county officials has bounced back and forth between the Assembly and Senate this legislative session.

Assembly Bill 23 reached the floor of the Senate from the Government Affairs Committee providing pay raises only for district attorneys and sheriffs.

But Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, and Sens. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, and Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, successfully pushed for an amendment to include all elective officials except county commissioners.

The bill, which is expected to come up for an official vote Friday, calls for the pay of the Clark County district attorney to increase from $100,800 to $155,745; the sheriff's salary would jump from $84,000 to $134,263; and the salaries of the clerk, the assessor, the recorder, the treasurer and administrators would rise from $72,000 to $95,760.

Raggio said it was "unconscionable" that the pay of county elective officials hasn't been raised since 1995.

He said county commissioners can raise their own salary if they want to do so. In Clark County commissioners earn $54,000 a year.

A 2001 bill to boost the officials' pay was sidetracked in the closing hours of the Legislature.

Sen. Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, said there was a misconception that the state is raising taxes to give the local elective officials a pay raise. The money for the raises, however, comes from local governments.

Raggio said he understands that some resistance remains in the Assembly to approve the pay increases. The Assembly has supported pay raises for district attorneys and sheriffs only.

Among those voting against the amendment boosting the pay to all elective officials were Sens. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, and Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson.