Roughly speaking, Yellowstone County’s elected officials will get a three percent increase in wages for the next fiscal year, 2021-22. County Commissioners approved, on Tuesday, the recommendation for the increase submitted by the Elected Officials Compensation Board.
The board met twice to review information and laws regarding how elected officials must be paid. Noting that elected officials opted not to take a salary increase last year because of the uncertainties that the COVID-19 virus might bring about to budgets of local governments, and also concerned that that salaries should be such that they encourage people to run for public office, the board recommended an increase of 3 percent to the base salary of $72,894. They also receive $4,771 longevity pay for each year in office up to five years at which point there is no additional longevity increment. The amount of annual longevity increases at the same rate as the base salary. Maximum longevity pay is currently $23,856.
County Commissioners and the Sheriff each receive an additional $2000 by state law.
Clerk and Recorder receives a $7,289 stipend for also serving as Surveyor, and the Treasurer receives a stipend of $7,689 for also serving as County Superintendent of Schools.
Part of the board’s consideration were changes in law made by the recent state legislature with the passage of SB 238, but since it doesn’t become effective Oct. 1, 2021, it will only impact the undersheriff’s salary beginning Oct. 1, 2021, in making his pay 98 percent of the Sheriff’s rather than 95 percent.
Some of the salaries are set by other factors that were put into place by previous Compensation Boards.
Total compensation for the two Justices of the Peace will be 77.5 percent of the FY22 compensation level of a district court judge or $110,579. The JP’s receive no longevity pay.
The County Attorney’s total compensation is set to be equal with the compensation level of a district court judge at $136,896, and he gets no longevity pay. District court judges pay is set by the state legislature.
The sheriff also receives an additional year for longevity in October of $20,000, which brings his total to $101,107.58.
The County Elected Official Compensation Board is comprised of elected officials including County Commissioners, the Sheriff, Clerk and Recorder, and Auditor, as well as two at-large citizen appointees, Oscar Heinrich and Billie Ruff.
