In a divided vote Tuesday, Monroe County legislators approved pay increases for themselves – the first in 30 years.
They also approved the first raises for the county executive and county clerk in 20 years, along with an increase in the sheriff’s pay.
Legislators approved the raises 19-10, with both Republicans and Democrats casting “no" votes. Republican Tracy DiFlorio, who voted against the pay increases, said the charter should have been amended before the commission was convened to allow a phase-in of the raises.
“At a time when so many county employees and county taxpayers are struggling as costs on everything continue to rise I cannot support such a large jump in salaries to go into effect next year,” DiFlorio said.
A Compensation Policy Commission convened by the Legislature with bipartisan support met throughout May and recommended the pay increases in a report. Legislators adopted those recommendations Tuesday without alteration, and they included:
- Increasing the county executive’s pay by 50%, from $120,000 to $180,000.
- Increasing the sheriff’s pay by 17%, from $149,376 to $175,000.
- Increasing the Monroe County clerk’s pay by 42%, from $81,000 to $115,000.
- Increasing the base pay for legislators by 58%, from $18,000 to $28,500.
Commission members emphasized that while the raises seem very large, they amount to increases of 2% annually when spread over the years where officials’ pay was frozen.
The commission also recommended raising the stipends for Legislature leadership positions. The president’s stipend is the largest, and it is set to increase from $36,000 a year to $45,000. The majority and minority leaders of the Legislature will see their stipends rise 50%, from $5,000 to $7,500. Other leadership stipends will range from $500 to $3,750 a year.
Before casting his vote in favor of the raises, Republican Sean McCabe praised the commission for its thorough, bipartisan work. He said the time to act on county elected officials’ salaries had come.
"I don’t want to kick this can down the road," McCabe said. "At this point it’s been 35 years that Legislature after Legislature after Legislature has chosen for whatever reason not to handle it.”
