Item Description:
title
Commissioner Compensation
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WHEREAS, Minnesota Statute 383B.021 provides that the “Hennepin County board may set the salary of board members by resolution limited to that subject”; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota Statute 383B.021 generally provides that "[a]djustments in commissioners' salaries shall be adopted by the county board by resolution prior to a general election to take effect January 1 of the succeeding year"; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota Statute 383B.021 further provides that “[t]he salary must be stated in a fixed dollar amount" and that "[a]ny resolution that makes an adjustment must state the change and the resulting salary for a member as a fixed dollar amounts"; and
WHEREAS, Commissioners’ salaries were flat from 2010 to 2012, and again from 2016 to 2022; and
WHEREAS, Hennepin County Human Resources regularly performs market study analysis of similar positions in peer jurisdictions when considering pay structure adjustments to keep pay competitive and equitable; and
WHEREAS, Commissioner positions at Hennepin County do not have a regional peer that compares in population, size, scope, responsibility or budget; and
WHEREAS, Commissioner positions in Hennepin County are full-time positions, which is only the case in one other county in Minnesota; and
WHEREAS, recent market analysis was done for other executive leadership positions in Hennepin County resulting in a market adjustment and an updated compensation structure of $182,141 to $254,404 (middle point $218,272) for Assistant County Administrators (ACA), which provides another data point on compensation for leaders in Hennepin County government; and
WHEREAS, setting the salary for Commissioners at the low end of the ACA compensation range, or $182,141 annually, will keep elected official compensation in line with other county executives.
Resolution:
BE IT RESOLVED, that effective January 1, 2025, the Hennepin County Commissioners' salary be increased to $182,141 annually; and that each Hennepin County Commissioner is eligible for the reimbursement up to $2,000 per year for eligible expenses from Hennepin County's Trade Time for Fitness Program; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that effective January 1, 2026, the Hennepin County Commissioners' salary be increased by 3% to $187,605; and that each Hennepin County Commissioner is eligible for the reimbursement up to $2,000 per year for eligible expenses from Hennepin County's Trade Time for Fitness Program; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each Commissioner file notice with the County Administrator requesting the specified salary adjustment no later than Wednesday, December 4, 2024 for the January 1, 2025 adjustment; and that should a notice not be filed by the Commissioner, their salary will remain at their current salary level for the succeeding year; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each Commissioner file notice with the County Administrator requesting the specified salary adjustment no later than Wednesday, December 3, 2025 for the January 1, 2026 adjustment; and that should a notice not be filed by the Commissioner, their salary will remain at their current salary level for the succeeding year; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a newly elected Commissioner file notice with the County Administrator requesting the specified salary adjustment by Wednesday, December 4, 2024 to be effective January 1, 2025.
Recommendation from County Administrator: No Recommendation