Keith County commissioners debate elected-official pay, agree to defer final decision

Commissioners for Keith County spent the majority of their Dec. 2 meeting debating how to set elected-official salaries and related cost-of-living adjustments.

The discussion opened at 8:30 a.m., when Speaker 1 framed the issue around a statutory cap that links county maximums to state rules and the county’s budget cap. Commissioners discussed whether to tie elected-official COLA to a federal index such as the Consumer Price Index or to set a fixed cap in the county resolution. "We have to be cautious of what we can afford," Speaker 1 said, noting the county’s flat budget and the possible $200,000 annual impact if officials’ pay is raised broadly.

Commissioner discussion focused extensively on deputy pay and ranges for hiring and retention. Commissioners signaled support for allowing elected offices a hiring range for deputies rather than a single prescribed percentage; the group discussed a 65%–85% range and landed on language to set a ceiling of 85% for deputies’ pay bands while allowing offices to decide within that range for hires. "We can set a range and say you figure it out because you make the hiring decisions," Speaker 8 said.

Members repeatedly requested updated financial numbers before final adoption. Several commissioners asked county finance staff to prepare detailed balances and projected reserves for the first week of January; Speaker 8 asked for numbers by the 10th of the month to allow the board to see what is available before finalizing pay decisions.

The board did not adopt a final, binding salary resolution on Dec. 2. Instead, commissioners agreed to postpone the final vote and place the salary resolution on the Jan. 7 reorganizational meeting for action, directing staff to supply specific budget figures and a sample resolution tied to CPI language for review.

Next steps: the board will receive updated fiscal figures from the clerk/treasurer before the Jan. 7 meeting and will consider a resolution that may include a deputy hiring range (cap at 85%) and COLA language tied either to a fixed cap or to an external index.