Commissioners approve 4% pay increase for lieutenants, add retroactive pay for one lieutenant

The Klamath County Board of Commissioners voted to increase lieutenants’ pay by 4% and to provide retroactive pay to the ratification date of the KSSA contract for Lieutenant Lewis. The motion was made by a commissioner and seconded by the Chair; the transcript records at least two verbal 'aye' responses when the Chair called for a voice vote.

The motion stemmed from a presentation by a sheriff’s office representative, who told commissioners the recent sergeants’ contract and negotiated raises had created salary compression. The representative said the sheriff’s office had proposed a lieutenant salary of $11,562.98 per month and an undersheriff salary of $12,488.02 per month; the representative also presented fiscal‑year impacts for the remainder of the year, including $10,145.10 for both lieutenants, $5,477.62 for the undersheriff, and $5,367.14 for the sheriff, attributing funding availability to salary savings from unfilled positions.

Commissioners debated process and precedent. One commissioner said elected officials’ salaries should be set through the Elected Officials’ Compensation Committee and budget process and proposed a narrower, interim 4% increase to relieve compression without bypassing that committee. That commissioner also amended the motion to include retroactive pay for Lieutenant Lewis to the date the KSSA contract was ratified. The Chair seconded the amended motion.

The transcript records verbal assent when the Chair called for a vote; however, the transcript does not include a detailed roll‑call tally naming every commissioner. The motion was recorded as passing by voice vote.

The county cited ORS 204.112 during the discussion, noting statutory direction that the sheriff must be paid at least $1 more than the highest paid sheriff's office employee, which the sheriff’s office said would require an 8.8% increase to the sheriff’s pay for the remainder of the fiscal year if other pay changes were made.