County compensation board approves increases

Union County Compensation Board Wednesday approved its recommendations for pay increases for elected officials. The board approved a 6% increase for sheriff; 4% increase for attorney and board of supervisors and 6% percent plus $3,000 each for the auditor, treasurer and recorder.

The amounts will be considered by the Union County Board of Supervisors which will ultimately approve the final amounts when writing the fiscal year 2025 budget. The supervisors have the right to revise the compensation board’s recommendations. Board members are Susan Dunphy, who was named chairman, and represents the sheriff; Mike Duckworth, attorney; Bill Atkin, recorder; Connie Kerrigan, supervisors; Tracy Chapman, auditor, Sarah Long, supervisors and Andrea Hoyt, treasurer.

Elected officials were given up to five minutes to explain their own suggested pay and reasons. County Attorney Shane O’Toole was first. He said he is one of 70 full-time Iowa county attorneys.

“We are about the 20th of 70th in terms of total population. My salary ranked 23rd,” he said.

O’Toole explained his office’s workload.

“Union County is a very, very busy county. It was busy before I got here and is still busy.” He started the position by appointment after the 2020 election.

O’Toole asked for his pay to match what the Clarke County attorney since it is a close, full-time position. O’Toole said Cass County is a better comparison to Union using population and workload. “Their pay was $131,000 before any raises,” he said about Cass. “That is not what I’ve asked before.”

As of 2022, Clarke County’s attorney pay was $112,842.

O’Toole said he wants Union County to be known for “harshest prosecuting and harshest penalizing and look for the toughest sentences in this part of the state.” He thinks the prosecuting and sentencing speaks for itself. “The defendants hate it.”

O’Toole said his strategy shows progress in indictable misdemeanors from bar fights to thefts. “We are seeing decreases in burlglaries and stealing things from cars. We are already stating to see improvement.”

Sheriff

Mark Shepherd said Union County was “off the charts” when he started. Under his administration he said he doubled arrests which also means having to double the jail budget.

Shepherd said Union County operates with less staff and smaller budgets than the surrounding counties. His current pay is $97,000. Neighboring counties with less population have sheriff pay as low as $85,000. Adair and Clarke counties sheriff pay is at $97,000. Madison County is over $100,000.

“We all frequent them, we know what is going on,” he said about the adjacent counties. Shepherd said the population equivalent to Union is Grundy and its sheriff is paid $112,000.

“We are little bit behind, nothing outrageous,” he said.

Shepheard said recent discussions have included the state wanting to update its court system and create regional hubs.

“Our court system is looking at making Union County a hub, regionalizing a clerk of courts. We have to have our jail to keep us a regional hub. We need to be staffed appropriately and a budget to train our people with and hire when we need to,” he said.

Auditor Sandy Hysell, speaking for herself and treasurer Kelly Busch and recorder Katie Carlton, said the three would like their pay to increase to at least be comparable to where the county ranks among the state.

Board of supervisors, who all were in attendance, briefly explained their work but did not have any further comment about their pay.

In a related matter, the compensation board approved a payment of $3,000 to auditor Sandy Hysell for her work on the county budget. That, too, will also be considered when the supervisors approve the final budget early next year.