Minutes 06-11-19 Budget Work Session

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22 Commissioner Marcoplos expressed strong support for pulling out the expense figures from the salary, and treat them as reimbursements. Commissioner Bedford said this money is taxable to the BOCC, and car allowance is the more appropriate term than mileage. Commissioner Greene agreed this is a good move. Commissioner Price said the car allowance will show on w-2s. Commissioner Bedford elaborated on all of the benefits she now receives: health insurance, contributions to her health savings account, County contribution to her retirement plan, and dental. She said if one excludes the health insurance, but includes the other benefits, with just a 2% increase it totals $29,450.80. She said the County is not age banded, and that health insurance is worth over$11,728.44. She said the grand total is $41,179.24. Commissioner Bedford said she just ran for office, and was expecting the base salary. She said she cannot support an increase. Commissioner Dorosin said the comparative numbers from the other counties did not include a lot of these benefits. Chair Rich said not everyone takes the same benefits as Commissioner Bedford. Commissioner McKee referred to the regional comparative, and said Chatham, Alamance and Person counties should have been included for a true comparison as opposed to just taking the highest wealth/highest paid commissioners counties. Chair Rich said that information is all on page three, but the average was not calculated. Commissioner McKee said it should have been. Commissioner McKee said he is not going to support this because the percentage increase, the BOCC would receive, is larger than that which the County employees will be getting. Commissioner McKee said his personal base salary, under this increase, would start at $23,590; $2400 for travel; $1920 for tech; $1000 merit bonus; and he contributes the maximum for the 457 retirement, and receives the maximum County contribution, which adds another $2172. He said his cash total is $31,083, plus the health and life insurance benefits he receives. He said the Board gave itself an increase in 2015, and approving this increase would be quite a large jump over 4 years. Commissioner McKee said he came on this Board in 2010 knowing he was getting $14,000 as a base salary, which moved to $15,672 in 2013; $15,900 in 2014; $21,401 in 2015; $21,800 in 2016; $22,049 in 2017; and again in 2018 with all County employees. Commissioner McKee said if the BOCC approves this, it would be making more than the bottom 3 tiers of County employees. He said the BOCC is not working 40 hours a week, has 10 weeks off in the summer, and 6 weeks off in the winter. He said he cannot justify this proposed increase, but would support a modest increase, such as a 2% increase like the other employees. Chair Rich said former commissioners brought this up because citizens that have full time jobs find it difficult to serve as commissioners, and perhaps this increase would recruit more diversity. Commissioner McKee said he would support a modest increase. Commissioner Greene said the goal should be to reach a reasonable level and attract a broader demographic of candidates. She said she feels like Commissioner Bedford, and if the proposal were to move forward, it should not take effect until after the 2020 election. She thought the comparables made sense, but noted that municipalities dominate Durham and Wake counties, and they do not have the rural issues to navigate like Orange County. She said she works hard as heck, and she admired those Commissioners who work full time. She said it make sense to increase the salaries in hopes of recruiting more diversity. Commissioner Dorosin said other entities are shocked by how much the Orange County BOCC works. He said he would ask if the Commissioners are paid equitably for the time they