St. Lawrence County committee set to consider legislator pay increases

The St. Lawrence County Finance Committee was scheduled to consider a resolution Oct. 26 that would increase annual pay for county legislators and leadership positions. The proposal comes after concerns from county Democratic Committee Chair Mike Zagrobelny about both the potential raises and an earlier discussion of compensation in executive session.

The resolution would increase legislator pay from $12,000 to $15,000 a year. It would raise the vice chair’s pay from $14,000 to $17,000 and the chair’s pay from $17,000 to $20,000. The proposal also would create a separate pay category for chairs of jurisdictional committees and provide 3% annual increases in 2028, 2029 and 2030. Compensation would be reviewed again in 2029 for the board term beginning in 2031.

Joe Lightfoot is listed as the sponsor, with Rick Perkins and Nicole Terminelli as co-sponsors. The Compensation Review Committee, created in August with three legislators and three community members, reviewed pay for legislators, department heads and administrative staff. Lightfoot chaired that committee.

Zagrobelny said compensation was discussed during an executive session at the September Finance Committee meeting and that the committee’s findings were shared with the full Board of Legislators behind closed doors. Lightfoot said the executive-session discussion involved a mistake, but was not intended to hide information, and that no vote was taken.

The county’s Board of Legislators has 15 members serving four-year terms. Legislators currently receive $12,000 annually and may buy into the county health insurance program. The insurance benefit can vest at age 55 after 15 years of board service. A previous compensation committee in 2018 recommended increasing pay from $9,000 to $17,000, but legislators set the annual salary at $12,000.

The board meets in the Legislative Board Room at 48 Court Street in Canton. The Finance Committee meeting was scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 26. The next full board meeting is scheduled for Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. The county’s meeting schedule also lists Operations Committee meetings Nov. 9, Services Committee meetings Nov. 16 and a Finance Committee meeting Nov. 23. Meetings are broadcast live on YouTube and through the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators. The board office can be reached at 315-379-2276.

The proposal comes weeks before the November election. The county adopted a $334 million budget last year with a $3.5 million levy increase, while tax rates fell 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.