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Commissioner Todd Vonderheid says putting increases for county row officers on ballot a possibility.
Luzerne County voters may end up deciding whether row officers receive pay increases, said Commissioner Todd Vonderheid on Tuesday.
Vonderheid said he has abandoned a plan to have commissioners decide — mainly because it puts fellow county commissioners Greg Skrepenak and Stephen A. Urban in an awkward position as they seek re-election in 2007.
Even if Urban and Skrepenak agreed to approve some raises, it’s doubtful they would OK an amount that would bring the salaries in line with the pay of other row officers in the state, Vonderheid said.
Instead, county Solicitor Neil O’Donnell is researching whether the county may legally put a referendum on the ballot in May asking voters to decide if they want to increase the salaries, Vonderheid said.
O’Donnell, who has experience working on county election law, promised to get an answer as soon as possible, Vonderheid said.
It’s premature to speculate on the referendum wording, Vonderheid said, though he wants to see more than a token percentage. “If taking it to the voters can make it worthwhile, then I completely support taking it to the voters. But I don’t want to put a Band-Aid on it.”
Skrepenak came up with the referendum idea, and Vonderheid said he has faith that voters will do what’s right if they are presented with facts about the higher pay given to row officers in other counties.
Vonderheid said he’s free to champion the cause because he’s not seeking re-election. Increasing the pay would encourage more competent people to run for office, he said.
Commissioners are currently paid $42,000 a year, which Vonderheid would like to see reach the state mean of about $70,000 within four to six years.
The other offices that would be impacted are treasurer, controller, recorder of deeds, register of wills, sheriff, coroner, prothonotary, clerk of courts and jury commissioner.
The annual pay is about $36,500 for the sheriff, coroner, prothonotary, treasurer, recorder of deeds and controller, while the register of wills receives about $2,000 more.
The last salary-increase package was adopted in 1992 because elected officials had been earning the same pay their counterparts earned in 1979. Raises approved in 1982 were discontinued in 1987 after public outcry and the salaries reverted to 1979 levels.
Skrepenak has said he won’t vote for the raises because he has already publicly stated that he won’t support an increase, even though he thinks the row officers are “grossly” underpaid.
If it came to a vote, Urban said he was going to base his decision largely on public feedback.