County elected officials request increase in pay

Group looking for parity to commissioners, other counties

EPHRATA — Some of Grant County's elected officials are looking for parity in what they are paid compared to the Grant County Commissioners and other counties throughout the state, and six of those officials gathered with the Grant County Commissioners to request a raise Wednesday.

The elected officials made their request based upon a salary review the county conducted on all employees in 2000. County Assessor Laurie Grammer read a prepared letter by the six elected officials stating elected officials were not included in that salary review process, and were told their salaries would be addressed once the salary review was completed.

"This has not yet happened for most of the elected positions," Grammer read from the statement.

The elected officials have negotiated with the commissioners about salaries each year since the salary survey was done, and Grammer said Thursday that the disparity between elected officials salaries and commissioners salaries has grown in that time.

The letter was submitted by Grammer, Auditor Bill Varney, Clerk Kenneth Kunes, Coroner Jerry Jasmine, Sheriff Frank De Trolio and Treasurer Darryl Pheasant. The county's three Superior Court and two District Court judges' salaries are not regulated by the commissioners, and they were not present for the negotiations.

Prosecuting Attorney John Knodell's salary is regulated by the commission. Knodell was not present, but was mentioned in the elected official's letter for his annual increases in his salary since 2001.

In 2004, the commissioners approved a separate $150 per month raise for the other six elected officials to bring them to a parity level with the commissioners. The six officials submitted a work sheet along with their letter showing the salaries of elected officials in comparable counties.

In their request, the elected officials requested a raise for Sheriff De Trolio of $625 per month. The remaining five elected officials requested that their salaries be increased by $567 per month. The raises would mean an approximately 11 percent increase in salary for the majority of the elected officials. The elected officials' request proposed implementing the salary bumps retroactively to the first of the year.

"After many meetings amongst the elected officials we believe this request to be equitable and justifiable in light of the duties and responsibilities required of Grant County elected officials and due to the tardiness in addressing meaningful consideration to comparative salaries on our behalf," Grammer read from the letter.

Varney said after the meeting that the elected officials have asked pay parity every year since the salary survey was done, and said the salary disparity hasn't been fixed over the years. Varney said elected officials are hoping for a response from the commissioners fairly quickly on their request.

After the meeting the commissioners did not say whether or not they would implement the changes in the elected officials request.

"We're going to research and deliberate," Commission Chair LeRoy Allison said.