A raise for about a half a dozen high-end Chautauqua County managers is being considered.

During this week’s Administrative Services Committee meeting, county lawmakers voted 2-2 on a local law that would provide a 1.5% raise in the 2021 county budget. The local law will go before the legislature’s Audit and Control Committee today for further review. It needs the approval of the full legislature in order to take effect.

The names of those who would receive the raise were not mentioned by the committee.

During the Administrative Services Committee meeting, Stephen Abdella, county attorney, explained that this legislation would only address select managers, since most were already approved for a raise in 2021. “The adopted budget did generally reflect a 3% increase for managers. However in some cases, the departments may not have appropriated those monies for individuals who were at the cap of the salary plan. What this local law would do is adjust the salary plan to increase it by one and a half percent, which I think was felt to be closer in line with inflation. Those managers at or near the top of their salary range would be eligible for not greater than this one and a half percent increase, depending on where they were in the range,” he said.

According to county Budget Director Kathleen Dennison, there are 98 county managers and about a dozen of them are not eligible for the 3% raise that was approved in the 2021 budget, due to being at the top of the salary plan. She did say that six of those individuals are in the Sheriff’s Office and their raises are contractually covered by the lieutenant’s union, so they would not be impacted by the local law.

County Finance Director Kitty Crow further explained that the raises generally follow a review from their department head. “Whatever might be budgeted for, there’s still a performance review that’s done, a recommendation for the salary increase that has been submitted. If it were in the case that a manager were close to or at the top of their range, they may not receive the full amount that is budgeted,” she said.

Legislator Bob Scudder, R-Fredonia, said he isn’t ready to endorse the raises. “”I want to hear some more discussion and see some more numbers. I know where we ended up with our budget talks for 2020 and I don’t know where we’re going to be next fall,” he said.

Legislator Christine Starks, D-Fredonia, said she supports the raises. “I’m voting yes because it’s my understanding it’s been budgeted for,” she said.

Along with Starks, Legislator John Davis, R-Frewsburg, voted in favor of the local law. Joining Scudder in opposition was Legislator Lisa Vanstrom, R-West Ellicott.

After the meeting, Abdella explained in an email to the OBSERVER that the legislation does not need committee approval before going to the full legislature next week. “In the case of Local Law Intro 3-20, it is sponsored by Chairman (Peter) Chagnon, Legislator (Jay) Gould, and Legislator (Chuck) Nazzaro. Because the local law already has legislative sponsors, actual committee action is not required but the committees do often take an ‘advisory’ vote on pending local laws before them. … The local law will be on the full County Legislature agenda next week irrespective of any committee votes that take place,” he wrote.