Apparently, it’s good to be on the County Commission.
Across the state, County Commissioners were meeting this week and voting pay raises for themselves as part of the new year. Minnehaha County did it. a few other counties did it. And in Pennington County, when there was a package set up to be in line with county employee pay raises, one commissioner decided that she was going to go a little beyond that, as reported in the Rapid City Journal:
In a telephone interview, Petersen said he was unaware he voted for the $250-a-month raise. He said he thought he was backing a $50-a-month raise to $1,300, which was already budgeted for 2016.
“I must not have heard it correctly when the motion was made,” Petersen said. He added that if he knew he was voting for the $3,000 annual raise, he would have insisted on more discussion on the matter.
A source in the Pennington County Auditor’s office confirmed that the motion was for the larger raise.
According to the meeting agenda packet, commissioners were given two options: Vote for the $1,300 per month salary already budgeted for 2016; or vote for “any other amount the Board deems appropriate.”
Hadcock made the motion for the $1,500-a-month pay.
Having previously spent years on the Rapid City Council, I suspect County Commissioner Hadcock knew exactly what she was doing when she made the motion. And instead of the merely ministerial action of approving the $1300 a month salary, she “boosted” it to $1500, giving all Pennington County Commissioners a 20% pay raise.
While it might work for commissioners in the short run, as they certainly haven’t voted to repeal it, I suspect that it may come to bite them in the tail in the long run.
I wish I could have determined my own salary when I was working! I know I was worth a whole lot more than I was being paid!!
how many hourly (blue-collar) workers do you know that ever received a 20% annual salary increase? this is disgusting!! another thing lyndell peterson playing the stupid card or is he just too senile to be on the comission? voter’s let’s clean house!!
I wonder if any legislators want to actually do something about this and create a recall system for some of these positions.
So instead of using that money for roads, jails, the poor, etc..lets give it to a bunch of people who are already over paid? The county system is broken, please fix. How about instead pay the commissioners nothing? Public petition…please.
It’s too bad our commissioners can’t follow the example of the Town Board of Keystone. We voted ourselves a 40% pay cut last night, from the whopping sum of $50/meeting to $30. Community service shouldn’t be about the money, and I think the commissioners have lost sight of that.
This works out to $30 a week, up from $25. Wake me when a real issue comes along.
Oh that’s not per YEAR it’s per MONTH. Well then. Never mind. I’d hate to headfake better candidates into running or something by paying too.much.
And how many of the commissioners in Minnehaha County are democrat only one I think.Republicans get so much done for the county RIGHT.
Young Mr. Oakes seems to have his head on his shoulders. I bet his mother will win a seat in the legislatures too!
Please consider signing our petition in regards to this apalling move by the Pennington County Commissioners.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/149/695/704/repeal-pennington-county-commissions-pay-increase-and-require-attendance-to-get-paid/?taf_id=20131672&cid=fb_na#