Historic vote: salary increase passes
LISA HOBBS - News Editor
Warren County Commission voted last night to increase the monthly stipend for county commissioners in 2030, the first increase approved since 1991.
The measure passed unanimously. All 24 commissioners were in attendance.
County Executive Terry Bell stated that he’s heard people say commissioners only serve one hour at a monthly meeting.
“It’s not just an hour monthly meeting,” he defended. “I don’t know how many times you have to go out and do research, call people or people are calling you all through the month asking you questions. So, it’s not that you’re just putting in an hour at this meeting and getting paid this base salary. It’s a 30-day job, when you’re going out in the community and doing what people elected you to do. You have to talk to people, do your research and make sure you’re doing your best for Warren County.”
Commissioner Christy Ross asked if Attorney Robert Bratcher could explain why the commission cannot impose a financial penalty on commissioners who do not attend the monthly meetings.
“The compensation for commissioners is set by statute and there’s no prevision in the statute that allows for a punitive measure for failing to attend the meeting,” stated Bracher. “It only provides three mechanisms by which a commissioner can be paid. There can either be an amount paid for attendance at the meeting, a base salary, or a base salary plus an additional payment for committee meeting attendance. We operate under the base salary plus an additional for committee meeting attendance. There’s simply nothing in there that allows you to dock pay for not attending the full body commission.”
During the committee meeting in which increase was initially discussed, Commissioner Tommy Savage voiced against the increase. However, that stance was made when they believed it would go into effect in September of this year.
“If I had gotten that raise on Sept. 1, I was going to be against that,” stated Savage. “I’m glad the law has changed. I will vote for it now. That doesn’t affect anyone else’s vote. I was against it, but I think this is better.”
The resolution increased the monthly salaries, from $260 to $417, and tied future increases to the county executive’s salary: 1/24th. Again, that increase will not go into effect until 2030 when the next set of commissioners is sworn into office.