CAPE COUNTY OFFICIALS VOTE FOR PAY RAISE; NO SALARY INCREASE SINCE '87

JACKSON - Cape Girardeau County elected officials voted to increase their salaries by 10 percent when their new terms start during a meeting Monday of the County Pay Commission.

Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep, chairman of the salary commission, began the meeting by pointing out that county officials have not had pay raises since 1987 and that salaries of employees have gone up an average of 25-27 percent during the same period.

Huckstep said those factors should be considered in any discussion about pay increases.

A law passed in 1986 by the Missouri General Assembly shifted the authority for setting salaries of county elected officials from the legislature to the elected officials. They meet in odd-numbered years as a salary commission. The law requires everyone to receive the same percentage of increase.

In 1986 the Cape County Salary Commission approved 100 percent of the salaries allowed by the legislation, and the raises took effect Jan. 1, 1987. However, the state constitution now prohibits any elected official from receiving a pay increase during his current term. That means officials elected last November to four-year terms would not be eligible for the pay increases approved Monday until after winning election to a new term and taking office Jan. 1, 1997.

Officials on the ballot in 1994 would be eligible for the pay raises on Jan. 1, 1995.

"It just is not fair to officeholders to wait 10 years for a pay raise," said Huckstep. "If we are going to keep quality officeholders we have to have fair compensation."

Huckstep said the County Commission has granted steady salary increases for employees as a way of trying to keep qualified people working for the county.

"I strongly advocate a pay raise for county officials," said Huckstep. "I don't have a scalp to lose on this."

Huckstep has announced he will not seek re-election in 1994.

After discussion, Sheriff Norman Copeland made a motion to increase salaries by 10 percent, which was seconded by Assessor Jerry Reynolds.

Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said he had been contemplating a motion to increase salaries by 3 percent, but Huckstep and Copleland contended that such a raise would not come close to keeping up with the cost of living.

"This raise of 10 percent only equates to a 1 percent increase over 10 years," said Copeland. "That's not really much of a raise when you look at it that way."

Said Huckstep: "I think going from what will be 8 to 10 years without a pay raise is a bit long. We've certainly tried to keep our employees stable over the years with pay raises."

Huckstep said Cape County is in good financial condition due largely to having a group of officeholders who are willing to put the good of the county ahead of politics and personalities. He said the pay increases would not jeopardize the financial condition of the county.

When the vote was taken, nine of 11 officeholders serving on the salary commission voted in favor of the 10 percent increase. Auditor H. Weldon Macke and 1st District Associate Commissioner Larry Bock voted against the motion.

The present salaries of Cape County elected officeholders are: Prosecuting attorney, $62,000; sheriff, $43,000; collector, $37,250; county clerk, $36,500; assessor, $35,900; auditor, $35,000; recorder of deeds, $35,000; treasurer, $27,860; presiding and associate commissioners, $25,000; and coroner, $8,000.

Earlier, the salary commission agreed to increase the base salary of the public administrator's office from $4,000 to $10,000. It would not take effect until Jan. 1, 1997.

Public Administrator John Ferguson, who also receives fees, had asked the salary commission to increase has pay to the maximum of $14,000.

Swingle moved and Associate Commissioner E.C. Younghouse seconded a motion to set the public administrator's pay at the $14,000 level. However, the motion received favorable votes only from Swingle and Younghouse.

Macke then moved that the salary be $10,000, and it was approved unanimously. Once the public administrator's fees surpass the $25,000 threshold, the salary would be reduced based on fees earned over $25,000.

The public administrator and coroner are not members of the salary commission.

Ferguson said the salary commission should have met in 1991 to consider his pay increase, which was authorized by a law passed in 1990. He complained that public administrators and coroners had been treated as "doormats of counties."

Several county officials said that with the maximum raise and an increase in fees, the public administrator could make nearly $40,000, making it one of the highest paid positions in the county.

County Clerk Rodney Miller said that in 1989 Ferguson received only about $500 in fees but got $14,853 in 1990, $15,431 in 1991, and $10,500 in 1992.

He recalled that Ferguson's predecessor once earned enough in fees when the threshold was smaller to receive a reduction in base pay.

Ferguson said he viewed the $14,000 maximum pay as being the same as county officials taking 100 percent of what was available to them in the 1986 salary commission meeting.

Swingle said it did not appear to him that fees were on an upward spiral in the office, which would lead to a salary for the position out of line with other offices.

Public administrator is considered a part-time position; no office space is provided and the county provides a nominal amount for postage.

Macke pointed out that once Cape County reaches first-class status later this decade, the salary structure for public administrators might be changed, making Monday's action moot.