Originally published in the 6/8/18 print edition of Yellowstone County News.
BILLINGS — County officials held the first of what is usually two meetings to determine salary increases for the county’s elected officials, on Tuesday. While no action was taken, the discussion of the Elected Officials’ Compensation Committee leaned toward increasing the base salary of elected officials by 2 percent.
The committee, headed by the County Attorney Scott Twito, is comprised of the county commissioners, the sheriff, clerk and recorder and two appointed citizen representatives. The committee makes recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners for their consideration.
A number of questions were raised about the impacts of salary increases, answers for which Finance Director Kevan Bryan was asked to provide, at the next meeting, which will be at 10:15 a.m. July 3. That meeting will be one of the first to be held in the county commissioners’ new offices in the Stillwater Building, across the street from the County Courthouse.
Of primary concern by the committee members is knowing the level of increase below which the sheriff’s deputies contract would be re-opened. The pay for deputies is tied to the sheriff’s pay raise, which is, of course, included in the committee’s recommendation.
County Commissioner Robyn Driscoll said she would support whatever was the lowest increase that would not trigger the opening of the union’s contract. Because of the uncertainty of what that is, she said she was reluctant to second a motion by Commissioner John Ostlund to increase the salaries by 2 percent. Commissioner Denis Pitman, upon being asked by citizen representative Oscar Heinrich, said that he agreed with Driscoll. (Billie Ruff, the other citizen representative, was absent.) read more
