Washington Co. officials recommended for 4% raise

WASHINGTON — The Washington County Compensation Board has recommended a 4% raise for each elected official in the county after a meeting last week, repeating its suggestion from last year amid mounting concerns about the local government’s tax revenue.

Washington County’s attorney, sheriff, auditor, treasurer, recorder and all five supervisors would get a raise from the change. The proposal would bump two of those offices from five-figure incomes to six, and push the lowest elected official salary — that of the supervisors — above $50,000 a year.

A memo from Compensation Board Chairperson Katie Mitchell described the recommendations — which would take effect July 1, 2024 — to the Board of Supervisors, but did not explain the body’s rationale for the percentage. Mitchell was not immediately available for comment.

County Supervisors said they planned to discuss the proposal at next week’s regular meeting. The county has not yet received a recommendation for nonelected staff pay.

“I’ll be interested to hear what the public has to say, once this is published, once word gets around,” Supervisor Jack Seward Jr. said.

A raise of 4% would slightly outpace several metrics of purchasing power for the U.S. economy. The Consumer Price Index suggests a 3.27% drop in the relative value of a consumer dollar from November of 2023 to ‘24, while the Social Security Administration’s Cost of Living Adjustment for next year is set at 3.2%. The Bureau of Economic Analysis said in its October report that the PCE Price Index was up 3.0% from 12 months prior, largely driven by rising costs of housing and health care in that time frame.

Washington County Auditor Dan Widmer said he’d compile a list of other counties’ compensation board recommendations for the upcoming fiscal year before Washington decision-makers resume their conversation.

Washington County’s supervisors received harsh criticism after voting to raise the pay of all elected officials -themselves included — by 20% in December of 2021. Another increase was more conservative for the current fiscal year, at 4% for such officeholders, while nonelected staff saw their hourly wages go up by $1.75 across the board.

This year’s discussion, like so many others, foreshadows a budget season that local governments expect to prompt difficult choices. Iowa House File 718, signed into law in May, caps property tax levies across the state $3.50 per $1,000 of taxable valuation by 2029.

Proponents of the bill argued it would offer taxpayer relief. State Sen. Dawn Driscoll championed the legislation as, “the solution to skyrocketing assessments.” Local government officials, however, say the limitation threatens to force much-needed services onto the chopping block.

“The HF 718 bill is going to reduce the taxes that we can levy for,” Brighton City Council Member Cathy Rich said in November. “That’s fewer dollars. And yet, the services that the public has come to expect and to want … those expenses are going to continue to rise.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com