The county compensation board met May 31 and recommended a 4.1 percent pay increase for most elected officials and non-union employees.

They recommended an additional 1.9 percent, for a total six percent increase, for the sheriff since deputy salaries get percentages of the sheriff’s salary under state law.

The increases, if approved by County Commissioners in the budget this fall, will take effect July 1, which is the start of the fiscal year.

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The county attorney does not receive a pay increase this year because under state law, his salary is capped at the level of district court judges and the board increased his salary by $12,000 last year to that level.

State law requires that by June 30 in even-numbered years that the Department of Administration conduct a salary survey of judges of courts of general jurisdiction similar to Montana district courts for the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho, including the salary of a Montana district court judge, to determine the average salary.

If the average salary is greater than a Montana district court judge, their salary is increased to the average on July 1 of the following odd-numbered year.

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The sheriff and deputy pay increases are paid through the county’s public safety levy that voters approved in November 2022.

This year’s COLA is 4.1 percent, based on the consumer price index from the U.S. Department of Labor, according to county officials.

County compensation board recommends salary increases; budget hearing opens Aug. 29 [2023]

Currently, state law requires that a county compensation board meet to make recommendations on salaries for the county treasurer, clerk and recorder, clerk of district court, county superintendent of schools, sheriff, county attorney and others. The law requires that county commissioners be paid the same amount as the county clerk and recorder, plus $2,000.

The county treasurer and clerk and recorder both receive an additional $3,032 under state law for operating combined offices.

The sheriff and deputies also receive longevity increases annually.

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With the increases recommended by the board, the base salary for county commissioners, treasurer, clerk and recorder, clerk of court and justices of the peace will increase to $78,164.84.

Non-union county employees with the 4.1 percent increase will go from $5,970,867.06 to $6,172,469.42, according to county figures.

With the six percent increase, plus statutory add ons and the longevity increase, the sheriff’s total salary will increase to $110,103. The remaining sworn personnel salaries will increase from a total of $3,483,887.57 to $3,791,659, according to county numbers.

County board votes to increase pay for elected officials, non-union employees by 4.5 percent [2022]

The county has about 16 collective bargaining units and personnel costs make up about 60 percent of the county budget.

The budget for the next fiscal year includes $826,999 in increased wages through collective bargaining agreements.

The county is anticipating increased health insurance costs, as well as property insurance increases.

Officials are also awaiting decisions in a major tax appeal by Calumet Montana Refining that could affect tax revenues for Cascade County, the City of Great Falls and Great Falls Public Schools.

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Commissioner Joe Briggs said departments were asked to hold their operating budgets flat and add in known personnel increases from collective bargaining agreements.

Briggs said that commissioners haven’t discussed the full budget or tax increases yet, but in developing the proposed budget, he doesn’t see how they’ll be able to avoid taking the full inflationary factor, which is one half of the average rate of inflation for the previous three years, and the permissive medical levy, which is used to offset county costs for employee health insurance premiums.

Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said he was proposing the six percent increase for deputies to continue helping with retention and recruitment.

County to increase pay for elected officials, non-union employees, deputies [2021]

He said he was also proposing the increase so deputies with families in particular would have more pay to help cover health insurance costs. Slaughter said he wanted to recruit deputies with families, because they’re more likely to stay with the department.

Slaughter said the 35 percent wage increase in the current budget, through the public safety levy, has helped improve morale and retention so far.

Briggs voted against the additional increase for the sheriff, and by extension the deputies, saying he was concerned about an effort to cover health insurance costs for one specific group of employees and whether that was fair to other county employees.

Other board members said they supported the additional increase to help the sheriff’s office with recruitment and that it wasn’t actually the county paying for health insurance for deputies with families, rather paying all deputies more and it would help defray health insurance costs for some.