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Unless the decision is going to be made before election day, it is our opinion it is too late for Chautauqua County legislators to talk about a pay raise for 2024.
Currently, each legislator is paid $9,000 a year, or $750 a month. The legislature chairman gets an additional $8,000. The minority and majority leaders both get an additional $1,000 a year. The assistant minority and assistant majority leaders both get an additional $500 a year. Each committee chairman gets an additional $1,000 a year. Ranking members get an additional $250 a year.
Increasing those numbers was recently broached during an Audit and Control Committee meeting. A report by the county's Salary Review Commission is expected to be finalized by Dec. 1, with one of its recommendations to be a possible annual cost of living increase be put in place for legislators. A similar yearly cost of living raise is included for the county executive, clerk and sheriff.
The argument here isn't whether or not legislators deserve a pay raise after roughly two decades without one nor even what an appropriate number is. Once the Salary Review Commission makes its recommendations then we would expect some debate and discussion on the matter during legislature committee meetings. There will be arguments for and against a raise that should be aired publicly.
There are a few issues worth discussing before the commission makes its recommendation. One is the legislature just cut $500,000 in spending from the budget by removing spending proposed by County Executive PJ Wendel for Chautauqua Lake projects. It's hard to overstate the lake's importance for the county's taxable assessment -- an assessment we note is fueling the county's increased spending -- and tourism. Legislators had reasons for cutting the lake spending, but it's hard to justify the policy statement that legislative pay raises -- even if they only total a couple of thousand dollars a year -- are more important than spending that same money on programs benefiting such a key resource for tourism and tax base as Chautauqua Lake.
There is a general argument against yearly raises that should be aired as well.
Yearly raises take effect whether the county is in a strong financial position or a weak position. There may be years a raise is possible and years where it is not -- but changing the charter for yearly raises removes the ability to make a quick decision when one is needed.
We also note the idea of annual pay raises for legislators -- and other elected officials -- doesn't exactly incentivize activity. It only incentivizes getting re-elected -- and that can be a low bar when it comes to legislative effectiveness. For instance, perhaps legislative pay remains the same with bonuses for meetings attended in a legislator's district and activity levels tied to the position of Chautauqua County legislator. We note, for instance, county legislators rarely attend meetings in Jamestown. It's almost as if the legislature and City Council exist on separate planets. Other legislators -- like Pierre Chagnon, R-Bemus Point and legislature chairman -- are seen in meetings throughout their district. We note Sheriff Jim Quattrone and County Executive PJ Wendel are regularly out and about in the community as part of their positions. One doesn't have to agree with everything Chagnon, Quattrone and Wendel do to see the effort they make to be visible in the community.
But perhaps the most important issue is timing.
While it's technically possible to make the change for 2024, particularly given the county's surplus, it still smells rotten to have legislators campaigning door-to-door all fall and then, three weeks after the election, be in a position to vote to give the next legislature a pay raise.
If annual pay raises for legislators is a policy the county wants to pursue, it should be broached the summer before an election so legislators have to face the people paying for the raise when they go door-to-door.