Hennepin County Board members vote 4 to 2 to give themselves 49% raise

Hennepin County Board members are ready to give themselves a 49% pay hike while also backing generous salary increases for the two countywide elected offices of sheriff and attorney.

Board members voted 4 to 2 to advance the hefty pay raises for themselves during a committee meeting Tuesday. The members also voted 6 to 0 for the pay increases for the county attorney and sheriff.

The raises are up for final approval Aug. 6.

Under Board Chair Irene Fernando’s proposal, commissioners’ salaries would increase from $122,225 to $182,141 in 2025, a 49% jump. Salaries for the two countywide elected officials would be set at $218,272, up from the current pay of $185,775 for the sheriff and $195,065 for the county attorney.

Commissioners, the sheriff and county attorney would see more routine 3% pay increases in 2026.

Fernando, who has a background in human resources, said she considered several factors, including previous pay freezes; the size of the county’s population, budget and workforce; and the list of other commissioner responsibilities.

Fernando also noted that the pay for an elected office affects who decides to run for office. She and Commissioner Angela Conley were the first people of color elected to the board, and Fernando is the first woman of color to serve as chair.

“I believe in a county where generational wealth or additional income is not a prerequisite to serving as a Hennepin elected official,” Fernando said. “I have promised over and over again that while I am the first, I will work very hard to ensure I am not the last.”

Several commissioners noted they could earn more working in the private sector than their elected position pays.

Nonetheless, voting for a substantial pay raise is controversial, especially in an election year, and three of the four commissioners on the Nov. 5 ballot opposed the pay hike. State law requires salary changes be approved before Election Day to go into effect the following year.

Commissioners Kevin Anderson and Heather Edelson voted against the measure, saying the raises were more than county employees would receive. Edelson added that the county was negotiating with some employee unions.

“I was elected eight weeks ago, so I’m not going to pretend I know this job as well as you do,” Edelson said to her colleagues. “I don’t know anyone who gets a 50 percent pay increase.”

Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde was absent from the meeting, but he also opposed the increase. “I cannot support such an increase while knowing the people I represent are also facing the same financial challenges,” Lunde said.

Commissioner Debbie Goettel was the only member of the board up for re-election to back the raise, quickly moving to bring it to an initial vote. She praised Fernando’s analysis and noted that county leaders routinely examine employee pay to ensure it is equitable.

“It’s long overdue that we look at ourselves,” Goettel said. “If we want to set a legacy for the people who will come after us so we will get good governance, we need to at least get equitable pay for the people sitting up here on the bench. I’m not talking just about myself, I’m talking about the people who come after me.”

Commissioners Marion Greene and Conley joined Goettel voting in favor of Fernando’s pay proposal, which would put commissioner pay at the low end of what assistant county administrators earn. In March, the board gave County Administrator David Hough a 20% pay raise and his salary is now $353,284 annually.

Hennepin County commissioners are already the highest paid in the state. Neighboring Ramsey County, which has fewer than half the residents, recently increased County Board pay to $104,077 for commissioners and $109,338 for the board chair.

With 1.3 million residents, Hennepin County makes up about 40% of the five-county Twin Cities metro population and it has the second largest government in Minnesota. For comparison, the governor’s salary is set at $149,550, but Gov. Tim Walz takes a smaller one, and state commissioners’ pay tops out at $187,314.

County officials noted that Sheriff Dawanna Witt is the second-lowest paid sheriff in the metro and Mary Moriarty is the lowest paid county attorney in the region. Both signaled support for the pay raises for their positions and urged commissioners to also look at pay for their staffs.

“I appreciate county leadership considering the importance of competitive salary recommendations driven by wage data comparisons, command responsibilities, community expectations and engagement,” Witt said in a statement. “This office is the largest Sheriff’s Office in the state and we should attract the best and the brightest talent throughout our agency.”