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Panel suggests salary raises for county officials Tardiness in election could cost clerk By DANI DODGE The lay members of the county's Budget Committee are recommending raises for the county's elected officials ranging from 1.5 percent for County Clerk Kathy Beckett to 6 percent for District Attorney Mark Huddleston. During the debate of what raises to suggest, the three budget committee members discussed what comparable counties were paying as well as job performance in the past year. Then they balanced that assessment with the 3.7 percent inflation-based raise that all managers in the county are getting. "I'm a little hesitant myself to give the clerk the full amount of the raise based on some of the things that happened in the department during the November election," said Budget Committee member Tim Alford. "A person has to be accountable." In November, Jackson County was one of the last counties in the nation to report its ballot results. Every year, the three lay members of the Budget Committee meet for lunch during budget deliberations to decide on the raises they will recommend for elected officials. The lay members of the Budget Committee, who are not paid, are appointed by the county commissioners. This year, the lay members of the budget committee are Neil Thorson, a budget officer for Avista Corp.; Valerie Root, vice president of Sabroso Company; and Alford, executive director Rogue Federal Credit Union. Last year, a number of people were upset when the commissioners got 6 percent raises although the county had a budget shortfall - when the county reduced funding to local historical societies, people lost jobs. The Budget Committee's lay members said they'd made the recommendation in an effort to get Jackson County commissioners' salaries in line with salaries in comparable counties. This year, committee members recommended that the commissioners get 4 percent raises - slightly above the rate of most county managers - because they worked to bring federal funds to the county. "They do earn their keep," Root said. They recommended only a 3 percent increase for Assessor Dan Ross because his salary was one of the few over the average. Budget Committee members commented that they believe that the district attorney is doing a great job, especially considering he has so many more criminal cases per deputy district attorney than other comparable counties. In recommending 4 percent raise for Justice of the Peace Robert King, they said he had solved some staffing problems this year. They recommended a 4 percent raise for Surveyor Roger Roberts because he had cleared up a good portion of backlogged projects even though he was short-staffed. They also recommended a 4 percent raise for Sheriff Bob Kennedy. "He's shown great improvement in getting his hands around his business," Thorson said. When a committee member asked County Administrator Sue Slack if she gave performance reviews for the elected officials, she said, "No." Another person pointed out: "Their elections are their performance reviews." Yet, the committee clearly worked to give more money to those they felt deserved it, and less to those they believed didn't. "We get very good results when we send a message," Root said. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.