Sandoval County Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve a resolution of salary increases for newly elected or re-elected county officials, set to take effect on New Year’s Day. The decision came after a debate on balancing competitive compensation with fiscal responsibility.
Under the resolution, new commissioners will receive a 15% salary increase, raising their annual pay to $44,960. The county assessor, clerk and treasurer will each earn $103,951.16, the sheriff’s salary will rise to $108,405.53 and the probate judge will earn $45,736.70.
“I would hope that the $103,000 would attract competency for these offices and I think it has across the board,” Commissioner Jay Block said during the discussion. “I may not agree with some of these people on certain things, but they’re here every single day. I know the assessor, the clerk and the treasurer are here every single day, working very hard.”
New Mexico voters approved Constitutional Amendment 4 on Nov. 5, granting Boards of County Commissioners the authority to set salaries for county officers, according to election results. The amendment passed in Sandoval County with 65% (46,284) in favor and 34% (24,234) opposed, reflecting statewide results of 65.67% to 33.3%.
“It’s unfortunate that the state puts you in this position with a referendum constitutional that puts this on you to do it and it’s difficult for the public to understand that you have to try to prove what it perceived to be your own salaries, which you’re doing,” said John Garcia, the county’s deputy county manager.
According to Garcia, the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) is concerned about the issue, despite it being passed by voters through a referendum.
Garcia said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and DFA are working to ensure consistency in salary adjustments statewide. Salary increases are often tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), with 3% being a typical standard before inflation made it more challenging. He suggested adopting a more structured approach, possibly using CPI and considering factors like county size, travel and distance when determining salary adjustments.
The constitution amendment does not allow mid-term raises for elected officials, so those already in office will have to wait until their next term to receive salary increases.
Sandoval County joined more than half of New Mexico’s counties, including Bernalillo, Eddy, Doña Ana, Santa Fe and San Miguel, in approving salary increases for officials this month.
After several debates and failed motions, the commissioners agreed to a 15% raise for new or re-elected commissioners, reducing the originally proposed 20%. They kept the salary increases for other elected officials as outlined in the original resolution.
Commissioner Joshua Jones made the motion to combine Commissioner David Heil’s 15% raise proposal for the commission with Commissioner Block’s motion to maintain the proposed salary increases for other elected officials.
Chairman Michael Meek, who wanted the salary increase to be limited to 10%, was the sole dissenting vote, with the final tally being 4-1.
The county clerk and treasurer received the largest pay raise, a 38% increase. County records show the deputy clerk earned $79,768, more than the clerk’s $75,326.99. The deputy treasurer and undersheriff also earned more than the treasurer and sheriff, respectively.
The county assessor, sheriff and probate judge each received a 20% raise. The assessor’s salary was $86,625.97, the sheriff earned $90,337.94 and the probate judge made $38,113.92, according to county records.
Congratulations to our politicians on their 15%-38% raises! I’m sure they’re looking forward to those Jan 1 increases as much as we Social Security recipients are awaiting our TWO PERCENT raises on Jan 1!!!
If the CPI rate is 3%, how do the Commissioners, justify themselves a 15% raise, plus a ridiculous 38% raise for the County Clerk and Treasurer? No wonder property taxes are sky high!