by Dennis Sharkey
and Ivan Foley
Landmark staff

Platte County’s elected officeholders in essence gave themselves a thumbs up on Monday, approving a motion that will increase officeholder salaries, some beginning in 2011 and others in 2013.

The amount of the pay increase will be 6%.

The motion does not affect salaries of circuit court judges or the county prosecutor, which are determined by the state.

Monday’s action was taken by the Platte County Salary Commission--comprised of the elected officials of the county--when it met at the administration building in Platte City. The salary commission meets every two years.

Voting in favor of the raise were Sheriff Dick Anderson, Presiding Commissioner Betty Knight, Collector Donna Nash, Treasurer Bonnie Brown, Recorder Gloria Boyer, Assessor Lisa Pope, County Clerk Sandy Krohne, Public Administrator Terry Edwards, and Auditor Siobhann Williams.

Voting no on the pay increase was Jim Plunkett, second district county commissioner.

Kathy Dusenbery, first district county commissioner, was absent.

The action will increase officeholders’ base salaries by six percent at the beginning of a new term for each position. Per the state constitution, raises cannot be taken mid-term.

The salary increases will go into effect after each respective office has gone through an election cycle.

According to auditor Siobhann Williams, it would impact the 2011 budget by $20,059 and will affect the 2013 budget by more than $23,670.

Most county officeholders--with the exception of the sheriff--currently earn $65,755 per year. The six percent increase will raise that salary to $69,700.

Associate county commissioners are required by state statute to make $2,000 less than the presiding commissioner. The associates make $63,755 currently. Their salary will go to $67,700 with the latest action.

The six percent increase is equal to the percentage of cost of living pay increases that county employees have been given since the last time officeholders received a hike in base salary.

As the meeting opened, the salary commission elected Anderson as chairman. Brown was also nominated as chairman, but Anderson gathered six votes to get the nod. He quickly yielded the chair so he could introduce a motion that he had prepared in writing. Anderson said he had distributed the motion to elected officials before the meeting.

Anderson explained that he thought the increase was necessary to attract qualified candidates to run for office. Anderson said all but one captain in the sheriff's department makes more than himself. Anderson also said the public safety chief at the city of Riverside earns more than $20,000 a year more than the sheriff.

Anderson said he isn't balking at his salary, which is more than $71,000 a year. At the beginning at the next term of office, the salary for the sheriff will rise to $75,607. The next term for the office of sheriff will begin in 2013.

“There's no one qualified that's willing to run for an office like the sheriff when they can compete for jobs making $20,000 more,” Anderson said. “The people who would be attracted to run for the sheriff's office are the marginal people that are not as well-qualified or people who would treat it as a part-time job and not take it as seriously. I don't have any reason to think any of your offices are any different,” he said to other officeholders.

Public Administrator Terry Edwards asked if the county commission would be required to grant the increases or is it at their discretion. Edwards remarked that employees are not being given raises this coming year.

“This gives them (the county commission) the authority but in no way compels them to grant any future cost of living increase,” Anderson responded.

Anderson was referring to cost of living increases with his answer to Edwards’ question, but not to the six percent increase in base pay.

After the meeting in a phone interview with The Landmark, Anderson pointed out that the increase in the base salary is a separate item from cost of living increases that can potentially be accumulated by officeholders.

The increase in base pay for officeholders does not need to be approved by the county commission, Anderson told The Landmark.

Williams, who voted in favor of the pay increase, reported that revenue projections for 2010 have a decrease in the general fund of anywhere between $500,000 and $600,000. However, after the meeting she said she believed the economy would rebound in 2011 when raises will affect the budget.

Kathy Dusenbery, first district commissioner, was absent from Monday’s salary commission meeting. She was contacted by The Landmark on Tuesday, and said she was out of town and could not make it back in time for the meeting.

She told The Landmark that had she been present, she would have voted no, even though she believes the county is in good financial standing.

“I don't think it's prudent at this time for officeholders to receive a salary increase,” she said.

The motion also gives the commission authority to grant cost of living increases to officeholders in the future. No cost of living increase was given in 2009. Presiding Commissioner Betty Knight said there will be no cost of living increases in the 2010 budget either.

Cost of living increases, as is the case with base salary increases, cannot be given to officeholders until the beginning of a new term.