DENVER – Dolores County officials would get a pay raise through a bill that advanced at the Legislature on Wednesday.
Under House Bill 1223, the county clerk, assessor and commissioners would see raises of $4,100, on top of their current $39,700 salary. The sheriff would get a $2,600 raise, to $49,100. Raises would not take effect until after the next election.
Only the Legislature can set wages for county elected officials. Such bills are fairly common at the Legislature. Mineral County officials might ask legislators for a raise this year, as well.
Commissioners work hard, said Rep. Don Coram, R-Montrose, who is sponsoring the bill.
“It is not a three-hour-a-week job,” he said. “They’re there working. I think it’s well-earned.”
Coram’s district includes Dolores County. He said he’s talked to people there and has not heard any opposition to the raise.
All of the elected officials in Dolores County signed a letter to Coram in support of the bill, he said.
At the same time, legislators are talking about raising county salaries across the state. That bill has not been introduced. Coram’s bill would not take effect if any other bill gives county officials a raise of 10 percent or more this year.
The House Local Government Committee approved the bill on a 13-0 vote Wednesday. Its next stop is the full House.
Dolores officials passed on a raise the last time the Legislature raised salaries statewide, in 2006. At the time, Colorado had five classes of counties, with the highest salaries in class 1 and the lowest in class 5.
But Dolores, Mineral and a few other class 5 counties said they couldn’t afford the 2006 raise, so the Legislature created a new class 6, which kept Dolores at its old salaries. The economy has improved sufficiently in Dolores County that it’s time for a raise, Coram said.
Legislators talked about including a raise for Mineral County in Coram’s bill, but they decided it would be better to introduce a separate bill, because Coram’s is supposed to be limited to Dolores County.
jhanel@durangoherald.com
