LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — All Ingham County elected officers will see will increase of their paychecks starting Jan. 1, 2025.
The Ingham County Fee accredited pay will increase starting from 3.5% for Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wrigglesworth to 65% for all 15 of the Ingham County Commissioners throughout its common assembly on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
Ingham County Courthouse, the middle of county authorities operations. (File/WLNS)
The pay raises have been proposed in two separate resolutions.
The primary was to approve raises for the commissioners. That decision handed 9 votes in favor and three opposed. Three commissioners—Todd Tennis, Victor Celentino and Gabriella Johnson–have been absent from the assembly.
The second decision accredited pay raises for countywide elected officers. That decision handed with 11 sure votes, one no vote and three commissioners have been absent.
The Commissioners final accredited pay raises in 2022.
Whereas these pay raises did go, Commissioners expressed frustration over each.
Screenshot of the wage and raises for Ingham County Commissioner proposed and adopted by the Fee on Nov. 27. (WLNS)
Republican Commissioner Monica Schafer of Williamston was the primary to specific opposition to the wage improve for commissioners.
“We all, all the county commissioners, as well as the elected officials, know how much they were going to make before they–we–ran for the election, and I think it’s in poor taste to vote a pay raise less than one month after the election,” she stated throughout Tuesday’s assembly. “So I will be voting no. Thank you.”
Schafer’s Democratic colleague, Commissioner Mark Polsdofer of Okemos, informed the Fee he was torn on the proposal. He famous that whereas the officers have been public servants, compensation was essential to guarantee continuity and institutional data.
Nevertheless, he additionally stated he was uncomfortable with raises for the fee contemplating the county’s present battle to pay equitable worker wages.
“I’m really torn on this,” he stated.
Democratic Fee Chair Ryan Sebolt weighed in, simply earlier than the vote, supporting the pay will increase.
“Our compensation, as of the moment – we are falling behind our neighbors, behind comparable counties,” Sebolt stated. “We are falling behind the Lansing City Council, which governs a smaller population than what we are responsible for.”
Sebolt stated county commissioner pay has “remained relatively stagnant compared to county employees.”
Schafer and Polsdorfer have been joined by Republican Commissioner Karla Ruest, of Mason, in opposing the commissioners’ pay raises.
Learn the Paperwork
Ingham county pay resolutionDownload
cc and cw compensationDownload
County Commissioner Wage ComparisonsDownload
11.15.2022 CS Minutes – Remaining (Accepted)Obtain
When the fee turned the dialogue to boost salaries for the countywide elected officers—the Ingham County Sheriff, Prosecutor, Register of Deeds, Clerk, and Drain Commissioner–—they targeted on the disparities between the countywide elected officers and their prime deputies.
Commissioner Thomas Morgan, a Lansing Democrat, launched the decision with the wage will increase. He informed his colleagues the increase proposals have been primarily based on the wage of the highest deputy reporting to every countywide elected official.
That improve was set at 3% of the top-level wage for prime deputies.
Longtime Commissioner Mark Grebner, an East Lansing Democrat, famous that it was a good, goal formulation, regardless of it producing important variations in pay raises for the countywide elected officers, together with his longtime political foe, Ingham County Drain Commissioner Patrick Lindemann.
Below the adopted raises:
Lindeman will see his annual wage rise by $37,121 from a 2024 wage of $96,538 to $133,659 a 12 months in 2025.
Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wrigglesworth will see his wage rise by simply $4,885 subsequent 12 months. Wrigglesworth’s wage in 2024 is $139,291, in 2025 will probably be $144,176.
Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane will see his wage improve by $16,519 in 2025 – from a wage of $148,724 this 12 months to $165,243 subsequent 12 months.
Screenshot of the salaries and proposed will increase for countywide elected officers in Ingham County. The wage will increase have been accredited as introduced on Nov. 27. (WLNS)
The countywide officers are elected by the inhabitants of all the county. Ingham County had a inhabitants of 284,637 in 2024, studies Michigan-Demographics.com. That’s Michigan’s eighth most populous county, out of 83. Simply earlier than Ingham, is Ottawa County with a inhabitants of 303,372. And simply behind Ingham is Kalamazoo County with a inhabitants of 262,215.
The sheriff in Kalamazoo County has an annual wage of $149,751, paperwork offered to commissioners and compiled by Ingham County employees present. The Drain Commissioner in Kalamazoo County has an annual wage of $43,320, whereas the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor has an annual wage of $149,250.
In Ottawa County, the sheriff has a wage of $149,618 in 2024, with a wage improve to $161,587 in 2025. The Drain Commissioner has a wage of $110,881 in 2024, with a wage improve to $132,659 in 2025. The Ottawa County Prosecutor has a 2024 wage of $169,874 and a rise to a wage of $183,463 in 2025.
Commissioners mentioned the imbalance in obligations for countywide officers such because the Sheriff and the Prosecutor compared to different places of work. There was concern the wage will increase, significantly for the sheriff didn’t adequately mirror the character and accountability of the job.
Williamston Republican Commissioner Monica Schafer requested the fee to think about growing the proposed wage for Sheriff Wrigglesworth to $154,000. No commissioners seconded the movement, so no motion was taken on the proposal.
