During Wednesday’s County Commission meeting, commissioners approved a salary increase for the county’s elected officials. The update was approved unanimously by all three commissioners.

The county attorney’s salary will now be $208,700, the sheriff’s salary is $177,695, commissioners will receive $166,960 and the remaining elected officials’ salaries will be $156,525.

Currently, the county is behind in the market in pay for elected officers, Ralf Barnes, county human resources director, said during Wednesday’s meeting.

Barnes said they compared Utah County’s pay to the salaries in Washinton, Weber, Salt Lake and Davis counties and found Utah County is 21% below market value.

He added they plan to slowly adjust the salaries year by year to keep up with the market and avoid modifying pay in a large amount at once.

“Our philosophy is to not lead the market, to be at market and not fall away behind,” he said.

Barnes explained to the commission that they use a ratio to determine the pay for elected officials by having the county attorney receive the highest, which he said is uniform across counties, and basing remaining officials’ salaries off of that.

“I like that you come back with a recommendation that has a mathematical equation that makes logical sense and that you’ve pulled the politics out of it,” said Commission Chair Amelia Powers Gardner, thanking Barnes. Commissioner Brandon Gordon also thanked Barnes for creating the process to determine salaries and the “thoughtful manner” put into it.

Powers Gardner further explained to the Daily Herald that the county’s policy is to calculate the average salary for a county attorney from the four other largest counties in Utah — Salt Lake, Davis, Weber and Washington. Human resources conducts a market salary study each year, she said, which isn’t limited only to elected officials but also includes county employees and judges.

“We don’t want to lose good, talented people to other positions,” she said, but also don’t want to “overpay” as salaries come from taxpayer money.

Once the salary for the county attorney is calculated, the county sheriff’s wage is made to be 85% of the attorney’s; county commissioners receive 80% and remaining elected officials get 75%.

This policy, Powers Gardner said, ensures salaries are “not based on politics, not based on favoritism.”

While the county has made an effort to ensure employees’ wages are at market value, Barnes said during the commission meeting that the same effort hasn’t always been put into keeping up with the elected officials’ salaries.

“We’re really just trying to get to where it should be, to be fair,” he said. “It’s really just a matter of fairness.”

Powers Gardner confirmed with the Daily Herald that the salary increases have already been budgeted for. This year, the county is expected to be operating in a financial deficit.

In 2022, commissioners in Weber County were paid $146,752, Davis County commissioners received $135,793 and the Washington County commissioners’ salary was $111,960.

Utah County commissioners received a salary of $128,267 that year, with a salary increase being approved last March to bring that up to $139,421.

In total, the county has 11 elected officials — three commissioners and the county attorney, clerk, auditor, surveyor, recorder, assessor, sheriff and treasurer.

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