Iowa County to reform comp board

MARENGO — Iowa County Supervisors decided this month to reestablish a county compensation board.

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Legislation passed by the Iowa House and Senate and signed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds this year ended all compensation boards as of July 1. Counties may reinstate the boards or perform the duties of the boards themselves, the law says.

County compensation boards consist of representatives for offices of elected officials. Those representatives review the salaries of elected officials every year and recommend salary increases for them.

The County Board of Supervisors can accept the recommendations or decrease the recommendations by a percentage across the board. The county cannot single out offices for salary increases.

Iowa County Supervisors voted 4-1 during their Aug. 2 meeting to reinstate the compensation board.

“I would like to keep the board,” said Supervisor Abigail Maas. “I would like to reinstate it.”

At issue is whether county supervisors would have to meet new State requirements for the sheriff’s salary in a single year if the county doesn’t have a compensation board, something supervisors believe they don’t have to do if a compensation board is in place.

Maas said she’s not sure the county has the revenue to make that salary jump in a single year.

Supervisor Kevin Heitshusen said that if the compensation board suggests a salary increase to the level required by the State in a single year, the Board of Supervisors can decide to give a smaller pay increase without violating the law.

Without the compensation board, the county would be required to meet the sheriff’s salary required by law during the next budget session, Heitshusen said.

Keeping a compensation board “gives us the option,” said Heitshusen. “If we get rid of the board, we have no option.”

Supervisor Alan Schumacher voted against the motion to reestablish a compensation board. Not having a compensation board gives the county more freedom with wages of each elected office, said Schumacher.

With a compensation board in place, the county is limited to reducing salary increases for every office by the same percentage.

Iowa law requires that members of the comp board “do research” before making recommendations for pay increases, said Maas. The compensation board has to show the reasoning behind its recommendation.

“They have to have documentation,” said Maas. Without a compensation board “that falls to us,” she said.

Supervisors Chris Montross, Maas, Heitshusen and Jon Degen voted to have a resolution prepared for the next meeting reinstating the comp board.