Washtenaw County elected leaders set to vote on giving themselves K raises

Washtenaw County elected leaders set to vote on giving themselves $9K raises

November 15, 2022 Staff Reporter 1764 Views 0 Comments

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI – Washtenaw County’s top elected leaders are set to vote Wednesday, Nov. 16, on what will amount to a $9,000 raise for many of them when a new term begins in January.

The salary bump under consideration for county commissioners is part of a countywide classification and compensation study that analyzed pay for every position across the county government, finding on average wages lagged roughly 7% behind the market in 2020.

The measure up for a first reading on Wednesday would raise commissioners’ base salary from $23,858 to $32,864, which officials say is the market rate recommended by the study. If it passed, it would be the first raise for commissioners since elected officials raised salaries for their positions by nearly $8,000 in late 2018, a measure which went into effect Jan. 1, 2019.

Before that, the last time there was a salary adjustment for commissioners was in 2013, despite changes to local cost of living, a county memo states.

“The goal is to implement the recommendations for (the compensation study) across every level of the organization,” said county spokesperson Crystal Campbell.

If approved, the raises would go into effect on Jan. 1, in accordance with state law that states changes in compensation can take effect only with the beginning of a new term. Six of nine incumbent commissioners were reelected in this year’s general election and would see the raise, amounting to a roughly 38% increase in base salary.

Read more: Democrats hold on to all 9 Washtenaw County board seats for 3rd election in a row

County leaders set a Wednesday public hearing for the pay bump during their Nov. 2 meeting, though the notice of the public comment opportunity published then didn’t include the amount of the compensation adjustment.

Base salary is just a piece of commissioners’ total pay and benefits package.

The chair of the board and working session receive an additional $3,000 in salary, with their respective vice chairs receiving an extra $1,000. Commissioners are also eligible to receive stipends and mileage reimbursements for participating on different boards, committees and commissions they are appointed to.

In fiscal year 2021, the amount collected by various commissioners under those rules ranged from between $250 and $3,304, according to figures officials provided in August in response to a request from MLive/The Ann Arbor News.

Commissioners also receive county fringe benefits, like health insurance, and each have access to a $7,000 flex spending account for expenses like registration fees, travel, lodging and food at certain conferences.

County commissioners aren’t the only ones in line for raises.

Consideration of their pay comes as officials continue to negotiate with several of the 16 collective bargaining units representing the majority of the county’s 1,400 public workers over implementing new wage scales in line with the compensation study’s recommendations.

All but four of the labor units have reached at least a tentative agreement with county administration regarding the implementation, Campbell said.

Still remaining, however, are workers in departments ranging from mental health to information technology represented by two local AFSCME units, according to Campbell. Employees with the unions have picketed outside county board meetings this fall to protest what they say are unacceptably low wages for county workers and voice frustrations over the status of the talks.

Read more: Washtenaw County employees demand wage increases after study found many are underpaid

Elected leaders on the all-Democrat board that has routinely taken pro-labor stances have previously expressed support for the workers, acknowledging implementation of the compensation study was delayed as the COVID-19 pandemic hit but affirming their commitment to reach the finish line and dedicating more than $5 million to put in place new wage scales.

The public hearing on the commissioner pay bumps is set for near the beginning of the county board’s Wednesday regular meeting, which begins at 7 p.m.

Residents can participate in-person at the Washtenaw County Administration Building at 220 North Main Street in Ann Arbor or virtually via Zoom.

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