Challengers in this year’s County Legislature campaign will have one less platform from which to attack incumbents– unlike in 2003, the Legislature voted this week not to give itself a raise for the next two years.
The salary freeze, which applies to all positions up for election this year, was proposed by Legislature Chairman Brad Kendall (R-Dover) and Majority Leader Noreen Reilly (R-Hyde Park).
“Property taxes in Dutchess County continue to rise, creating financial burdens upon hardworking taxpayers,” Kendall said in a press release last week. “To increase our own salaries in the Dutchess County Legislature at this time would be inappropriate.”
The Legislature is required to set salaries before July 1 in an election year. This year’s salary freeze applies to all legislators for the 2006-07 term and the comptroller for the 2006-09 term.
The Comptroller’s annual salary will be frozen at $99,937 for the next four years.
Over the next two years, the Legislature chairman will be paid $32,960 annually, minority and majority leaders will receive $23,690, minority and majority whips will receive $19,570, and rank-and-file legislators will make $15,450 annually.
Legislature posts are considered part-time, and most legislators hold down full-time jobs outside their political roles. Comptroller is a full-time post.
In 2003, the Legislature enacted a 10 percent raise for the county executive and a 30 percent raise for legislators, and democrats turned their opposition to the raises into a major campaign issue. Democrats were not able to turn that opposition into success, though, as they were largely met with defeat at the polls.
Legislators earned nearly $12,000 per year prior to the raise, the first enacted since legislative salaries were frozen in 1999.
At Wednesday’s meeting of the full Legislature, Rick Keller-Coffey (D-Town of Poughkeepsie) offered an amendment that would have cut salaries for legislators by 10 percent.
He said that cut would help to partially undo the increases of 2003, which he felt were excessive. “We should really give back systematically to the county,” he said.
But Republican Bob Sears (Lagrange) said it was unnecessary to reduce Legislators’ salaries. “$15,000 is a good honest range for legislators,” he said.
The amendment failed, 5-19, with five democrats supporting it.
The salary freeze then passed unanimously.
Last June, democrats on the Legislature offered a salary proposal that would prevent elected officials’ salaries from increasing at a higher rate than other county employees’ salaries, as set down by the county’s contract with the Civil Service Employee Association (CSEA), which represents the majority of county employees.
That proposal was rejected.
“We know county taxpayers are facing challenging times,” Reilly said in the press release. “As public servants we feel this is the way to do our part to help.”
Current Comptroller Richard Noel, whose seat is up for re-election in November but who has decided not to run, offered the lone voice of opposition to the salary freeze at a legislative committee meeting last week. He said that to deny the comptroller raises over a four year term would leave the position out of step with other jobs in the financial management field.
“Comparable management positions should receive comparable treatment,” Noel said. “This is not a comparable arrangement … It may result in ramifications you never considered.”