Shelby County Commissioners poised to vote on raises for mayor, sheriff and own board

On Monday, Shelby County Commissioners are likely to make their final decision on whether to raise the pay of the mayor, sheriff and their own board.

It's hard to know what way they will vote: Just five of the 13 commission members were present when the items were discussed and voted on in committee Wednesday, with four voting to approve and Commissioner Reginald Milton abstaining on each of the two ordinances.

Nine commissioners will need to vote in favor of each ordinance for them to pass Monday.

Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. has been a strong advocate of increasing the sheriff's salary, which is tied by county charter to the mayor's salary.

The mayor's current salary is $173,003, while the sheriff's current salary is $164,765.

Those two raises, if approved, would begin Sept. 1, 2022, with the goal of making the sheriff the highest-paid sheriff in Tennessee.

Under the proposal, the Shelby County Sheriff’s salary would increase by $34,735, rising to $199,500.

And, the mayor’s salary would increase by $36,997, rising to $210,000 annually.

The mayor’s and sheriff’s salaries are linked based on the Shelby County Charter, with the requirement that the sheriff’s pay be equal to at least 80% but no more than 95% of the county mayor’s compensation, a requirement established in 1986 when the charter was written.

Both positions are up for election in 2022. Both current Sheriff Floyd Bonner and current Mayor Lee Harris are running for reelection.

The salary cannot be changed during the term for which the mayor was elected or after Jan. 1 in which the mayor is to be elected, giving commissioners a short window to make the changes.

Shelby County commissioners currently make $29,100, with the chairman making $31,700. But Commissioner Van Turner proposed in a previous meeting to increase the salaries for 2022-2026 to $40,000 annually.

Turner will no longer be on the commission due to term limits if the raises take effect.

Raises would trigger a provision in the Memphis City Charter that reads, “The salary of the City Council shall be equal to the salary and expenses as set for the Shelby County Commission.”

On Wednesday, Ford read from a news article showing that Germantown's aldermen salaries were going to increase. He also pointed out that in Huntsville, Alabama, the City Council recently approved an increase to more than $38,000 for council members and $45,000 for the council's president, even though they have a population of about half of Shelby County.

Turner said he thinks adding $10,000 is a modest increase.

“After eight years I do understand the workload," he said. "I do understand the time and weight of the office.”

But Commissioner Eddie Jones Jr., who will also be leaving the commission due to term limits, said he may bring a proposal Monday to instead offer regular cost-of-living increases for commissioners, rather than lump sums every few years.

"All the other electeds get cost-of-living (increases)," Jones said. "Why not build that mechanism in, you don't have to deal with increases anymore?"

Katherine Burgess covers county government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com, 901-529-2799 or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Commissioners poised to vote on raises for mayor, sheriff and own board