Brevard County commissioners begin process for giving themselves a raise

Brevard County commissioners have taken the first step toward potentially increasing their salaries for the coming two years, after Commission Vice Chair Curt Smith first introduced the issue about a month ago.

The County Commission supported two measures during Tuesday’s meeting that could increase commissioner salaries.

The first calls for a public hearing on a proposal to increase commissioners’ compensation to $60,272.98, effective Jan. 1, 2023. That's about a 3.37% increase, which is equivalent to the average percentage increase given to county employees for the 2021-22 budget that ended Sept. 30.

Commissioners currently earn $58,145 a year.

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The proposal for the public hearing was approved 3-1, with Commissioner John Tobia voting no.

The second, proposed by Tobia, seeks to amend a section in the county charter related to commissioner salaries to be voted on by referendum in November 2024. His proposal replaces the current salary language, and instead makes the pay 90% of $96,895, which is the salary level allowed by state statute for Brevard County.

In explaining the rationale for his proposal, Smith said: “From the perspective of having this job for the last eight years, I think asking anyone to work for the same salary for 26 years … I don’t think it is unreasonable to increase it by 2%, 3% or 5%.”

Smith will end his time on the commission in November because of term limits, so he would not be affected by his proposal.

Initially, Smith at the end of the Aug. 2 County Commission meeting broached a possible salary increase for commissioners as part of his board report, along with his idea to extend term limits for commissioners by another four years, up from the current eight years or two four-year terms.

The term limits issue garnered the most attention, precipitating strong negative reactions from community members, such as Public Defender Blaise Trettis and Nick Tomboulides, the executive director of U.S. Term Limits.

Commissioner salaries was an issue that was largely ignored, relative to the term limits question, but was brought back into focus on Tuesday.

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The commission must act quickly if it is going to alter compensation in any meaningful way. According to the accompanying agenda packet, commissioners’ salaries are outlined in the county’s charter, which permits the commission to adjust its compensation on the even-numbered years for the following two years.

Brevard’s charter also states that commissioners may increase their pay only by the average percentage increase that county employees receive every fiscal year, or by the change in the consumer price index, whichever is less.

For the just-ended budget year, the packet states that employees received an average annual increase of about 3.37%, while the CPI increase was 4.7%.

Currently, commissioners earn $58,145 annually, and that pay has not been increased since 1997.

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Should the measure pass, it would add another $16,300 to the county budget.

Some speakers at the meeting were against the proposal.

Among them was Nathan Slusher, who chairs the Libertarian Party of Brevard County and is a former candidate for the Titusville City Council.

“If anyone is given the opportunity to set a salary, it just leads to problems,” Slusher said.

Slusher also proposed a solution, saying: “I encourage you to look at yourselves as having the possibility to set yourselves up to make the average income of Brevard County.”

Another opponent is former Brevard County Clerk of Courts Scott Ellis, who also is a former county commissioner.

"Why do they deserve a raise?" Ellis said after the meeting. "They don’t work enough to justify what they are paid. Look at part-time salaries with the cities' elected officials."

"The $50,000 salary is reasonable for full time," Elis added. "It is absurd for part time. Plus they get the insurance. Too many people get elected to office and think their IQ jumped 30 points, and they are the second coming of General Patton."

Tobia was the lone commissioner to vote against moving forward with the measure that could increase pay, effective in January.

“I am not going to vote for a pay increase for myself while I am in office,” Tobia said.

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That is when he recommended modifying the county charter so that commissioners’ salaries are a fixed percent of what is allowed in Florida Statute. The change, should it take place, would happen only after he leaves office in November 2024.

Some on the commissioners justified their vote to consider raising salaries as a recruitment and retention tool.

“You kind of get what you pay for,” Commissioner Rita Pritchett said. “If we are not able to get a little more competitive with this as well, I could be very concerned sometimes with some of the people who run for office.”

For her part, she said, there is an opportunity cost to serving in office, which takes time away from another career opportunity or from time with family.

“You want people that run for office who are able to either split their other job or be able to commit the time to do it,” Commission Chair Kristine Zonka said.

Ralph Chapoco is government and politics watchdog reporter. You can reach Chapoco at rchapoco@floridatoday.com and follow him on Twitter @rchapoco.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Commissioners consider proposal to increase their pay to $60,273 a year