NEWBERRY COUNTY — An ordinance that will provide the determination of salaries for Newberry County elected officials, and provide for the annual review of salaries for such offices will have its first reading during the next Newberry County Council meeting.
During a work session on Wednesday, County Council was presented two drafts of the ordinance. The purpose of the ordinance is to maintain the buying power of county wide elected officials’ salaries while also allowing for other salary adjustments such as changes in duties, professional requirements and changes in state statue and administrative regulations.
The following offices will be affected by the ordinance: auditor ($63,764.66), clerk of court ($81,807.68), coroner ($46,125), probate judge ($79,996.87), sheriff ($106,877.37) and treasurer ($62,255.29).
At the first meeting in December of each calendar year, Newberry County Council will decide whether and at what percentage to fund increase in county-funded (maximum) salaries for those countywide elected offices.
Absent a successful vote to the county by Newberry County Council at its first meeting in December, the county-funded salary portions of all county wide elected officials will be increased at a rate equal to the consumer price index for all urban consumers, as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the most recently reported 12 month period.
The ordinance does not prevent elected officials from requesting a salary increase, and nothing in the ordinance prevents council from granting an increase other than the one described. The ordinance and policy provisions previously in place that conflict with the provisions of this ordinance will be repealed by this ordinance.
The only difference within the drafts was a progression of salaries section. The progression of salaries states, salaries for newly elected officials shall equal 80 percent of the county funded (maximum) salary. Upon each two years of completed service, based on the official’s anniversary date, the official’s percentage of the maximum salary shall be raised in increments of 5 percent of the maximum.
Accordingly, upon the office holder’s second year service anniversary they will receive 85 percent of the county funded maximum. At four years they will receive 90 percent, and so on until receiving the full county-funded maximum upon eight years of service.
Council chose to go with this version of the draft.
“One thing about the current ordinance (already in place) that our elected officials do not like is every four years it comes up. One that that can happen is, doing it every year, you can hit year that says, ‘Oh man this is a bad year, they cut the local government fund, our building permits are down, and an industry closed and moved out equipment.’ If that happens on the number four year, they (elected officials) are kinda screwed,” said County Administrator Wayne Adams.
Adams added that changing from every four years to annual would prevent that from happening.
“I praise them all the time. The sheriff is a good example. I remember when we had a problem at the jail and we called you in, and you agreed to work with the people at the jail and take it over, and I am proud you did that because we were having a major problem,” said Councilman Bill Waldrop. “Problem I have with this, a county our size, and we pay property taxes in Horry and Greenwood, and your salaries are not out of line, but are very high for this county, and I have got enough sense to know that you all are doing a good job, but we cannot keep paying $13,000 or so every year from now on.”
Waldrop’s worry is that property taxes would have to be increased to pay for this annually.
Councilman Henry Livingston said that one particular year may only be one percent or even .5 percent, and may not be $13,000.
“The scale is going to be balance on what is going on in the economy. Hopefully we have enough growth in our county with property, business and equipment,” Livingston said. “And in this document, if it is something that creates financial difficulties for the county you do not have to give it. You are not tying yourselves forever, in good faith if things are going well, keep their buying power as consistent as everybody else.”
Sheriff Lee Foster added that if you look at everybody, the sheriff in Horry County only runs the jail, and they have a county police chief that handles law enforcement.
“Each of the 46 counties are different, different in size, in tax base, but also in how their elected officials do things,” he said. “Half of the sheriffs run the jails, half do not. So there is an appointed official that runs the jail. When we look at the salaries, you are not looking at what the people are doing, you are just looking at a salary.”
Foster added that in the case of Newberry County, you cannot compare the salaries to Horry County or Greenwood County.
For example, Foster said he runs law enforcement, the jail and the 911 Center. He also backs up Newberry County Emergency Services Coordinator Tommy Long and is the Homeland Security director, both of which he does not get paid for, and has not asked to be paid for.
Auditor Donna Lominack added that in some counties the auditor is just a PR person, and only goes to functions.
“Yes, we do make a good salary, but that is not something any of us pulled out of the air, we hired a consultant to make that decision,” Foster said. “There are places in this state that pay just the jail director what I make. “
Karen Lindler Smith, Newberry County treasurer, also pointed out that other treasurers within the state do not collect delinquent taxes like she does. Clerk of Court Beth Folk added that there are some duties that she has that other counties have another elected officials handle.