Misleading county salary info

I would like you to clear some things up with your readers and our constituents. I usually do not respond to articles, but the way the Oct. 30 article "County officials approve increase in their salary" was written is very unsettling to me.

The elected officials will only get a raise if the county employees receive raises also. This is decided in the budget hearing process through the county commission. Those hearings will begin in a few weeks. The salary commission met and voted on potential raises for 2011, basically a cost-of-living adjustment if the employees receive a COLA, and limited to 3.5 percent. This has no effect on 2010. We did not vote on raises for ourselves as indicated in the paper. We voted on potential raises for the office, as there is an election in 2010 which does not guarantee any officeholder re-election in 2011. If no cost-of-living adjustment is given this year or next to the officeholder, the salaries would remain as they are at present. The salary commission is required by 50.333 RSMo to meet every odd-numbered year to establish the next election cycle salary.

If I was given the opportunity for a vote to increase my salary for the upcoming year, I would vote nay and not take a raise in 2010. But once again, this is decided by the county commission in the budget hearing process.

KARA CLARK SUMMERS, Clerk of the Cape Girardeau County Commission, Jackson