VIENNA — The Maries County Salary Commission convened on Oct. 26 to set targets for raises for county employees and elected officials beginning with next year’s budget. After some discussion, the group made its goals a $2.50 per hour raise for employees and a 5 percent Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for elected officials.

The commission consisted of Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman, Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel, Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre, Prosecuting Attorney Tony Skouby, Assessor Dana Simmons, Coroner David Martin, County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers, Treasurer Angie Stricklan, Public Administrator Carol Jo Schulte and Collector Jayne Williams. The meeting began with Fagre nominating Skouby as the commission chair followed by a vote in favor of the group.

Rodgers shared the statuses of the county’s various funds. She said all of General Revenue, Road One, Road Two, 911 and the assessor’s office were all on track to end with an amount about equal to the budget. Citizens Safety was on pace to end with more money available than the budget prediction.

Stratman asked how tax revenue had been this year.

Rodgers said one of the county’s taxes, the use tax on online orders, had already exceeded the budgeted amount by about $79,000.

Stratman said he would like to give employees a raise of at least $1 per hour.

Skouby said he also wanted to give the employees a raise, but he did not know if $1 per hour would be enough. He said if the employees of his office left, he did not think he would be able to replace them at the current rate of pay.

“We have to appreciate the experience that our employees bring to the table,” Skouby said. “We’d be stupid for any of our departments to let any of our people go.”

“The job market is that you can’t hire anybody,” Drewel said. “The experience of a lot of them is gone. You better keep what you got.”

Fagre said he was thinking about a target of $2 per hour.

“We have some money in reserve,” he said. “We’re not really supposed to be a bank. We really need to look at our employees.”

Drewel made a motion to target a $2.50 per hour raise for employees “if we can afford it.”

“Naturally, if we can’t afford it, we’re going to have to cut it back,” he said. “But it would be a pretty good raise.”

Skouby seconded the motion.

“They need it,” he said. “That $2.50 is not going to replace the extra cost of gas and food and everything that’s really taken out of them.”

“I think we can probably cut money somewhere else to justify it,” Drewel said. “I think the wages need to be more than some of this other stuff. More of a priority.”

The commission approved the motion of a $2.50 per hour goal. The county will determine the exact rate of the raise while working on next year’s budget.

Discussion moved to the COLA for elected officials excluding the sheriff and prosecuting attorney, whose salaries are set by the state. The COLA may not exceed the percentage increase in employee pay.

Simmons said the salaries of most of the county officials are not comparable to supervising positions at other jobs. County officials also face rising costs for needs such as gas and groceries.

Williams said Maries County’s pay for officials is “a little on the low side” compared to neighboring counties.

Fagre suggested keeping with Social Security’s rate of increase, which is 3.2 percent for next year.

“I don’t want to get too carried away and run us into the ground, but I think at least 3 percent,” he said.

At the previous salary commission meeting in October 2021, the officials approved a 5 percent COLA and a $1 per hour employee raise. Simmons said she would like to see a 5 percent increase if that stays below the percentage raise for employees.

Simmons motioned for a 5 percent COLA provided it works with the employee raise. Drewel seconded the motion. Everyone voted in favor of the motion except for Fagre.

Before the salary commission adjourned, Martin referenced Missouri State Statute 58.096, which entitles deputy coroners to receive $1,000 in compensation for their duties. Martin said $400 of that would go toward training.

The salary commission approved the $1,000 annual compensation to Maries County’s two deputy coroners.