Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RALPH ANSAMI
Bessemer — Salary increases for 2019 of $69,597 were approved for non-union employees and elected officials by the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners at a Dec. 21 meeting.
The increases for non-union employees, effective Jan. 1, were approved on a motion made by Jim Oliver, of Ironwood, seconded by Dan Siirila, of Ironwood. The vote was 4-1, with Jeff Wasley, of Ironwood, opposed. Absent were Joe Bonovetz, of Bessemer, and Tom Laabs, of Ironwood.
Oliver, Siirila, then board chair George Peterson, of Watersmeet, and Bob Orlich, of Wakefield, voted for the salary increases.
The following increases were approved, according to information provided to the county board members:
—Sheriff: From $60,087 to $72,761, or $12,673.
—County administrator: From $51,544 to $63,665, or $12,122.
—Undersheriff: $56,040 to $64,494, or $8,455.
—Airport manager: From $46,000 to $52,250, or $6,250.
—County clerk-register of deeds: $52,503 to $55,022, or $2,518.
—Friend of the court director: $47,000 to $49,500, or $2,500.
—Equalization director: $48,500 to $51,000, or $2,500.
—Magistrate court administrator: $45,000 to $47,500, or $2,500.
—Magistrate traffic: $34,500 to $37,000, or $2,500.
—Prosecutor: $75,811 to $78,311, or $2,500.
—Treasurer: $53,720 to $56,220, or $2,500.
—911/emergency management coordinator: $48,392 to $50,892, or $2,500.
—Twelve other non-union employees, mostly court workers, were granted increases of a combined $13,829.
According to the minutes of the meeting, the salaries were reviewed earlier in the day by the board at a finance, budgeting and auditing committee meeting.
The new salaries were approved after recommendations in a county wage study that cost the county $27,000 were reviewed by the board.
The wage study listed the county payroll, including both union and non-union employees, at $2,815,127 as of May 11, 2018. It recommended increasing the payroll to $2,932,433, or a total of $117,306.
Among non-union workers, the comparison wage study indicated airport manager Mike Harma was the most underpaid and recommended an $8,134 raise for him.
A second motion was made at the meeting that elected and appointed members will begin paying 10 percent of their health insurance premium costs effective this month. That also passed 4-1.
Oliver and Wasley did not seek re-election in the mid-term election. They are replaced by Jim Byrns and Joann Balduc.
