Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A citizens' panel that is tasked with reviewing salaries of Erie County elected officials are in the process of concluding a report that will likely suggest significant pay increases for the County Executive, Sheriff, Comptroller, Clerk and county legislators.
The 2024 Erie County Citizens Salary Review Commission, a group of nine appointed by the county executive, legislature and the comptroller are considering raises that could nearly double the annual salaries of the county legislators from $42,588 to $80,000 and add tens of thousands of dollars more to the annual salaries of the sheriff, comptroller, clerk and county executive.
According to an article written in The Buffalo News, members of this salary review commission have been referencing extensive data that they say shows most countywide elected officials are underpaid compared to other New York counties, despite a 13-17 percent increase approved by the panel and legislature in 2018 for every county official listed above except the legislators themselves.
And although this could be the first pay raise for our county legislators since 1996, it would appear there is still a small divide amongst legislators as to whether or not they should vote substantial pay recommendations through.
District 11 Erie County Legislator John Mills (R) believes there should be no raise for legislators.
"I firmly believe that we're part-timers," says Mills. "And that's the way this country is set up. Farmers went to the legislature to cast their vote and went back home plow their fields. I think we're well compensated for it."
Mills mentions that some of his Republican colleagues are also not in favor of a raise in any capacity for themselves. However, the majority of the County Legislature's makeup is democratic.
District 1 Legislator Howard Johnson (D) is in favor of a raise for legislators. He references the fact that although they get paid more than the similar upstate counties of Monroe, Albany and Onondaga, Erie County legislators represent a much larger population.
"If you look at the last time there was a pay raise [for Erie County legislators], it was 1996. And when you think about the constituency, we represent 86,000 constituents.
When you look at other counties, they represent not even a third of the population that we represent. I think of Monroe County, I think they represent about 10,000. They only meet once a month, we're here weekly. So this is almost like a full-time job for most of us."
Mills also mentions that if an almost doubled annual salary were to be passed, it would certainly bring a more diverse group of candidates to the County Legislator position, a statement that has also been brought up during commission discussion.
The commission has met five times so far this year and will meet two more times by the end of February, which is when they are expected to release their report.
"I know we need a raise. I think we need something fair, equitable to today's economy," added Legislator Johnson.