Senate resurrects raises for all county officers except commissions

The state Senate voted Wednesday to resurrect pay raises for all county officers except those on county governing boards.

Another version of the legislation is tied up in the Assembly, where the Government Affairs Committee balked at raises for commissioners.

Several assemblymen on the panel objected to giving Clark County commissioners raises, citing their refusal in February to settle a contract dispute with county classified workers. Instead, the committee passed AB23 by Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, which would give raises only to sheriffs and district attorneys.

"It seems completely inappropriate, if you're going to raise elected official salaries, to raise just the DAs and sheriffs," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno.

He said elected officials have not had a pay raise since 1995 and Assembly Bill 23 would leave not only county commissioners but assessors, clerks, treasurers and recorders without pay raises until the 2006 elections.

He said those officials -- including sheriffs and DAs -- are different from the members of the various county commissions because their jobs are full-time professional positions which perform vital county services.

Raggio called for an amendment putting raises for those officials into the sheriff's and district attorney bill. The amendment leaves commissioners -- including the Carson City Board of Supervisors -- out of the pay-raise package.

He told the Senate lawmakers are constitutionally required to set all county elected salaries except the elected commissioners and that technically they can raise their own pay.

In the past, legislators have taken the heat away from commissioners by including commission raises within the pay bill for all county officials.

The amendment adopted by the Senate says county commissions can, by a majority vote, set their own annual salaries.

Raggio said that compromise would encourage the Assembly to join the Senate in making sure the other elected officials are properly compensated.