House Bill 1295 was signed into law by Gov. Bill Owens April 14, giving commissioners across the state a 38-percent pay raise. Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, newly elected commissioners of El Paso County will receive an annual salary of $87,300.The current county commissioners receive $63,203 a year. They will not be affected by the pay increases, but the hefty hike could certainly flood the field of future candidates.The Colorado Constitution sets the tone for commissioner pay statewide.The general assembly shall fix the compensation of county officers in this state by law. … When fixing the compensation of county officers, the general assembly shall give due consideration to county variations, including population; the number of persons residing in unincorporated areas; assessed valuation, motor vehicle registrations, building permits; military installations; and such other factors as be necessary to prepare compensation schedules that reflect variations in the workloads and responsibilities of county officers and in the tax resources of several counties.The state has divided the counties into six categories to determine the officials’ compensation.El Paso County is included in category 1, along with other Front Range counties Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, Pueblo and Weld.Denver County is self-ruled.Not everyone was in favor of HB 1295. El Paso County Commissioner Douglas Bruce testified in March at the Colorado Capitol before the senate committee that elected county officials are currently overpaid and the recommended increases would further burden county budgets.”We had only 266 hours of board meetings all year,” Bruce said. “That’s six and a half weeks of work, at 40 hours a week.” He added that he considers the job part-time and said he reminded the committee that in El Paso County, the job is shared by five individuals. Bruce said he recommended that the state use a more objective rationale and adjust salaries every four years in accordance with inflation. Higher increases would require county voter approval.According to the state of Colorado Web site – the minutes from the meeting on Capitol Hill – Mike Blanton of Jackson County also voiced concern that the required salary increases would create a big burden on smaller counties with limited budgets.To lessen the burden on the smaller counties, the Legislature added another category, and HB06 1295 passed overwhelmingly.Chip Taylor, Colorado Counties Inc., spoke on the percentage increase from category to category for commissioners salaries, stating that the increases are at a higher rate than other elected officials who work full-time.The board of county commissioners is elected to run the business of the county and work in the best interests of the county. Their powers are described in the Colorado Statues, and voters decide if they use their “powers” wisely.State legislators make decisions about raises for county officials.Bruce said the Colorado constitution was written that way to “prevent self-serving of elected officials.”
