Elected official compensation

Praised several elected officials' communication with the public but said the Board should add an option to leave salaries as-is while researching how other counties handle compaction.

A caller argued the county charter prohibits raising elected officials' pay mid-term and called the proposal illegal; county counsel said the provision was ruled unconstitutional in 1975.

The Treasurer-Tax Collector presented data showing elected officials are at the bottom of comparator county pay, asked for the 5.5% catch-up plus permanent TCMEA alignment, and pegged total cost at about $69,000/year.

The Sheriff asked to be tied to the Law Enforcement Management Association rather than TCMEA if his pay is aligned to a bargaining unit, and earlier gave a Cal-ID program update.

The Auditor-Controller noted the proposal isn't new — it was first presented in September 2024 — and said elected officials aren't asking for retroactive pay or to reach the median.

A caller said she opposes anything locked in by ordinance forever with no ability to change it, saying the automatic minimum-wage tie isn't what the charter intended and the public should know where its money goes.