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The board voted 12-3 with one abstention to raise salaries 1.5 percent yearly in 2009 and 2010, and 2 percent in 2011 and 2012.
The county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds will earn $49,291 this year. The salary package would increase pay for the positions $10,624 over the next four years, said board member David Ernst.
Three county supervisors — Steve Weiss, Ron Helwig and Claire Waters — opposed percentage raises and voted against the measure. New board member John Bauer, of Alma, said he didn’t have enough information about the salary proposal to vote for or against it.
Weiss argued that giving public employees and elected officials percentage wage hikes widened the gap annually between lower and upper paid positions.
“I don’t think it’s right,” Weiss said, saying benefit and pension costs also went up faster using percentage raises.
County board member John Schlesselman of Fountain City said he also didn’t favor percentage raises because of disparity concerns, but questioned how the county would go about changing a union contract system that uses percentages to negotiate wage hikes.
The adopted percentage increases are lower than the rate of inflation, noted Larry Balk, the county supervisor.
A comparative study with other counties revealed that Buffalo County salaries for clerk, treasurer and register of deeds were higher than salaries paid in 29 counties and lower than in 41 counties.
