BUFFALO, NY - A group of citizens, empaneled since August to review and recommend the salaries of Erie County’s elected office holders, have recommended raises for some- but not all of the county’s elected officials,
The last time the salaries of Erie County's elected officials were raised was in 1996, and they've remained flat for 22 years.
The final report of the Erie County Citizens Salary Review Commission mirrors the information first reported by 2 On Your Side last Friday, which revealed that the panel would call for raises of roughly 15% for the county executive, county comptroller, and county sheriff—but not for the county clerk or members of the county legislature.
The report will now be sent to the Erie County Legislature for its consideration.
Commission member Jerry Newman, a professor of business at the University at Buffalo, noted that the county budget is currently close to $1.5 billion, and that the proposed raises, collectively, would add only $38,000 to that total.
“That is .002%, which is indeed miniscule with a capital 'M'," Newman said.
The commission arrived at its findings by comparing, among other things, what others in similar positions in other counties across the state make, the cost of living here, and inflation over the 22 years since salaries were last raised.
“The public should know that we did a very thorough job on their behalf,” said Commission Chair Laurie A. Buonanno, a professor of public administration at Buffalo State College.
Also weighing heavily on the minds of those who comprised the commission, was the fact that while the pay of county employees has risen, those under whose direction they work has stayed flat since 1996.
"It's just gotten to a point where it's just so out of whack,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz (D), who appointed five of the members to the nine-person commission.
There are now 85 county employees whose salary exceeds that of the county executive. Close to 100 more, with overtime, eclipsed his current pay of just over $103,000 annually.
"The deputy county executive makes more than the county executive. The deputy comptroller makes more than the comptroller, and the undersheriff makes a lot more than the sheriff. Our system is wrong," Poloncarz said.
“It’s important to note that these raises, as recommended, are for the various offices, not the individuals who currently hold them, said Buonanno, while noting that a recent change in the county’s charter would not allow an increase in the salary of any county elected official until their current term of office has expired.
The county legislature would have the ultimate say on whether to adopt the panel’s recommendations.
"I think it at least warrants a strong, open minded review,” said Peter Savage, who as a member of the majority democrats currently serves as Legislature Chairman.
“We should determine if the (salaries) are competitive with other municipalities and counties around New York State and throughout the country," Savage said.
2018 Erie County CSRC Final Report by WGRZ-TV on Scribd