The Ramsey County Board could be getting a raise in 2024.
The seven-member board is considering a 2.25% salary bump, which would bring board members' salaries next year to $101,280 and the board chair's salary to $104,447. Board members currently earn an annual salary of $99,052, while the board chair earns $102,149.
A public hearing on the proposed ordinance raising commissioner salaries was held during the county board meeting Tuesday, but no one commented.
The board makes salary adjustments every summer to avoid significant jumps, Rose Lindsay, director of communications and public relations for the county, said in a written statement.
Commissioners' salaries increased 1.5% in 2023 and .5% in 2022, which aligned with general wage increases for county employees following labor negotiations. Board members skipped a salary increase in 2021, citing the difficult economic climate, according to Lindsay.
The proposed salary increase for 2024 matches the wage increase that county employees received in 2023. Board members intend to match their future salary increases to the previous year's wage increase for employees, according to the ordinance.
Crafting the salary increase proposal for commissioners took three months and included an evaluation of commissioner salaries in other counties, Lindsay said.
If the board passes the salary ordinance by July 1, it will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
