Josephine County, Ore., — Some elected officials in Josephine County may be on the way to a pay raise, some as much as 6%, after a recommendation was made to the county budget committee.
A group of citizens who make up the Elected Officials Compensation Committee, is recommending that some Josephine County elected officials get a pay raise, to attract better candidates and reward those in office for some time.
Chairman of the Compensation Committee, Larry West, says he feels the raises are needed.
“The 10 elected county officials in Josephine County are all vastly underpaid in some regard but all are underpaid compared to the other 10 counties we compared to”
But many disagree.
Gary Young said, “I think that if they are getting a pay raise then everybody else should get one too.”
“The elected officials are already making too much. they’re making more than the teachers who are educating our children.” said Steven Greven.
Josephine County Commissioner Simon Hare is one of the officials recommended for the raise but he says this isn’t a new proposal.
“History tells us we probably won’t endorse this. We never have in the last 6 years. This isn’t a new recommendation.”
If passed, the raises would only apply to officials who have been re-elected at least once.
And they would range from as low as 2% and as high as 6%.
The budget committee is scheduled to meet on May 17th to discuss the recommendations. If passed it will go into effect this summer.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.