Cape Girardeau County officials approve increase in their salaries

Editor's note: The story has been changed to indicate that the raises go into effect in 2011 for the office holders if approved in the budgetary hearings which are scheduled to take place in the next few weeks.

Cape Girardeau County officials Thursday approved a raise in salaries for certain office holders in 2011.

The County Salary Commission meets every two years to determine if raises should be approved for certain officeholders. During Thursday's meeting officials agreed to continue providing a 3.5 percent raise for those who will be in office by 2011. The increase in pay is contingent on the Cape Girardeau County Commission approving the raises in the annual budget. County employees must receive at least the same increase for the raises to go into effect.

Members of the commission are Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle, County Clerk Kara Clark Summers, County Treasurer Roger Hudson, Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones, District 1 Commissioner Paul Koeper, District 2 Commissioner Jay Purcell, Sheriff John Jordan, Auditor David Ludwig, Administrator Phyllis Schwab, Recorder Janet Robert, Assessor Jerry Reynolds, Collector Diane Diebold and Coroner John Clifton.

Diebold and Clifton were absent from Thursday's meeting.

Swingle said the raises are necessary to attract not only the most qualified people to fill elected offices but also those serving in other offices in the county.

"We don't need to take a Chicken Little approach on salaries like other counties are doing," Swingle said. "To attract and keep good people in these offices, we need good salaries.

"If times are lean and the county is not giving raises, then the officeholders would not get a raise that year," he said. "But if we don't vote this in now, times could be flush in the future and every other employee would get a raise except the officeholder."

Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones agreed.

Jones said the most important things the county has are its employees. "If they're all unhappy and unsatisfied things don't function quite as well."

Under the current salary structure, the auditor, collector, recorder of deeds and presiding commissioner earn $67,661 each year. The raise would increase their pay to $70,029.

The county clerk makes $70,332 and would receive $72,794 after the pay increase.

Purcell was the only dissenting vote.

"Given the condition of our economy, we should be doing everything within our power to reduce government expenses and reinvest those savings back with our citizens either directly if it is legally possible or into needed projects that will better serve our citizens," Purcell said.

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