County compensation board agrees on numbers

Union County Compensation Board agreed Wednesday on proposed salary increases for the county’s elected positions. The auditor, recorder and treasurer would each receive 6%; supervisors, 4%; sheriff, 8% and attorney 2%. Another $3,500 would be for the budget director, which in the past has been auditor Sandy Hysell.

The proposal is scheduled to be made to the county board of supervisors during their meeting Monday.

Supervisors are working on the fiscal year 2026 budget which begins July 1. Supervisors are not required to approve the compensation board’s recommendations. Compensation board met Jan. 8 but only agreed to determine how they would arrive at the suggested amounts. Compensation board members considered the pay for the same positions among Union County’s neighboring counties and counties similar in population.

Alison McCarty, who represents attorney Shane O’Toole, was the most aggressive with her numbers. She said she used the state average of all the positions but excluded Iowa’s metro counties, Polk, Linn, Scott, Johnson and Black Hawk.

She proposed 9.2% for the auditor, recorder and treasurer; 12% for sheriff; none for the attorney and 4% for the board of supervisors. McCarty also considered the daily tasks of the offices. Treasurer offices can issue a driver’s license to Iowa residents regardless of where they live. Union County has seen an increase in that.

“We might as well shoot high,” McCarty said. “The board (of supervisors) will never add to what we propose, they will only take from it. The worse thing they can say is no,” she said.

Toby Henry, who represents new sheriff Brian Bolton, asked whatever is approved may still not be enough when compared to other counties. Information reflected what others were getting paid in the fiscal year 2025 budget and not know how much more is proposed or approved for 2026.

“We still may be behind,” he said.

Henry suggested a 4 to 5% increase across the board, with the exception of sheriff. Passed by state legislation in 2021, counties are to pay their sheriff a rate comparable to police chiefs in cities of similar population to the respective counties, as well as comparable to Iowa State Patrol professional administrators and command officers, and Dept. of Criminal Investigation administrators and command officers.

“We are behind,” Henry said about Union County Sheriff pay.

Bolton, who started this month, inherited the $102,000 pay of Mark Shepherd who did not run for another term. Bolton has said he does not want a pay raise because how new he is to the position. Henry said he learned Union County falls behind other comparable towns and counties. The police chief of Le Mars is at $118,000. Pella is at $139,000. Calling the amount the “low end,” Henry said Boone is at $110,000.

Connie Kerrigan, who represents the supervisors, suggested 5% for auditor, recorder, treasurer, attorney and sheriff. She suggested 4% for supervisors and $2,000 for the budget director.

Sarah Long, who also represents the supervisors, called her numbers conservative. Her goal was to make the positions’ pay comparable to counties with similar population.

She suggested 3% for auditor, recorder, treasurer; 7% for sheriff; 8% for supervisors and none for the attorney. O’Toole had said he does not want a raise but wants to increase the pay for his assistant. That would be a budget issue, not a pay, as staff members receive a percentage of the pay of the department head.

Compensation member Susan Dunphy was not in attendance. She did leave the compensation board with her suggestions: 1.5% for auditor, recorder, treasurer; 2.6% sheriff; 5% supervisors and none for the attorney.