DC Committee on Admin recommends increased salaries for county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — The Dunn County Committee on Administration has recommended an increase in salary for the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds to stay in line with an 18.65 percent increase last year for the clerk of court.
The Dunn County sheriff and the clerk of circuit court are elected in gubernatorial election years, and the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds are elected in presidential election years, said Andrew Mercil, county clerk, at the January 25 meeting of the Dunn County Committee on Administration.
The Dunn County Board approved the compensation package for the sheriff and the clerk of circuit court for the term that started in January of 2023, and the county board has historically kept the salary of the clerk of circuit court and the salary for county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds roughly the same, he said.
In 2022, the clerk of circuit court received a salary of $71,638 and the sheriff received a salary of $99,472.
Beginning in January of 2023, when the new term in office began, the clerk of circuit court received a salary of $85,000, and the sheriff received a salary of $120,045.
The clerk of circuit court salary increased to $89,038 this year, and the sheriff’s salary increased to $125,747.
In 2022, the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds received a salary of $69,629, which was about $2,000 less than the clerk of court.
In 2023, the salary for the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds increased to $71,022, or about $14,000 less per year than the salary received by the clerk of court.
In 2024, the salary for the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds is $72,422, and the salary for the clerk of court is $89,038.
The salaries for the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds must be finalized before the first date that candidates for those positions can file nomination papers for the fall election, which is April 15, said Kris Korpela, county manager.
Term in office
State law requires that any changes in salaries for elected officials must be made before the first date that nomination papers can be filed and requires the salary to remain the same during the following term of office.
The compensation for the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds would cover the term of office from 2025 to 2028.
The proposed salaries for county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds is $90,553 in 2025, or about $18,000 more than this year.
In 2026, the proposed salary is $94,854; in 2027, the proposed salary is $99,359; in 2028, the proposed salary is $104,079.
Because of the way the elections fall, the sheriff and the clerk of court are always ahead of the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds in terms of salary increases, Korpela noted.
The county clerk, treasurer, and register of deeds met with the director of human resources and the county manager to review salaries paid by other counties and comparable salaries for department heads in Dunn County, she said.
The comparables for the county positions are a pay grade of P, with a step of 1 to 3 for a “green” or new employee with some experience, and a step of 3 to 5 for an employee with more experience. The county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds have been in their positions for three years, so a Step 6 was considered as appropriate for a comparable salary, Korpela said.
Heather Kuhn was elected as register of deeds in 2012 and took office in January of 2013, so she has been in the position for more than 10 years.
Comparables
Dunn County, which is ranked at 32 in terms of population out of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, is paying $72,442 in 2024 to the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds.
Barron County, ranked at 30th out of 72 counties for population, is paying $81,052, or nearly $10,000 more per year.
Douglas County, ranked at 33 for population, is paying $75,127, or nearly $3,000 more per year.
As for surrounding counties, Chippewa County, with a population of 67,849, or about 20,000 more than Dunn County, is paying $77,426 in 2024, or $5,000 more per year.
Eau Claire County, with nearly 2.5 times the population, is paying $85,273 in 2024, or nearly $13,000 more than Dunn County.
St. Croix County, with a population that is slightly more than twice the population of Dunn County, is paying $82,254 in 2024, or about $10,000 more.
The Dunn County child support director, land information officer, and facilities and parks director, at Step 6, which is comparable to the step where the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds would be placed, are being paid $90,709, or about $18,000 more per year.
The three county director or officer positions, at Step 11, would be paid $103,896 per year, or nearly $31,000 more per year.
Neighbors
Vaughn Hedlund, county board supervisor from Boyceville and chair of the Committee on Administration, said he appreciated knowing where Dunn County stands compared to neighboring counties and counties with a similar population.
The clerk of court, with an 18.65 percent increase, and the sheriff, with a 20.68 percent increase, also will be receiving a 4.75 percent yearly increase until 2026.
The 4.75 percent increase is based on a 2.7 percent step increase and a 2 percent cost-of-living increase, Korpela said.
Earlier in the meeting, A. Sifia Jevne, county treasurer, said she had submitted her resignation, effective February 16, and that she would be taking the assistant Dunn County finance director position.
One of the members of the Committee on Administration asked if Jevne had resigned as treasurer because of the salary.
Jevne said her background is in finance, and now that she had experience as the treasurer, the assistant finance director position seemed like it would be a good fit for her background and experience, so that was why she applied for the position.
Working with taxpayers “is not for the faint of heart,” Jevne noted, pointing out that she has never had to run for election for the treasurer’s position because she was appointed to the position three years ago.
Enough?
Once the salaries are set, the salaries do not change for four years since they are elected officials, Korpela said.
The salaries were reviewed in depth with comparable positions on the Dunn County pay grid. If the salaries are not set high enough, competent people who are qualified will not run for the positions, said Jenna Nutter, director of Human Resources.
The job market is very competitive right now, so are the proposed salaries high enough? asked Luke Wilsey, county board supervisor from Menomonie and a member of the Committee on Administration.
As previously noted, the proposed salaries represent an increase of $18,000 for 2025 over the salary being paid this year; an increase of $22,000 for 2026; an increase of $27,000 for 2027; and an increase of $32,000 for 2028.
The proposed pay increases would place the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds on the mid to upper level of the Dunn County pay grid, Nutter said.
Of course, no one knows what the labor market will look like in four years. The labor market has experienced dramatic changes in the last four years, she said.
Uncomfortable
Tim Lienau, county board supervisor from Menomonie and a member of the Committee on Administration, said he recalled that the reason for the large increase for the sheriff was because at the previous rate of pay, the sheriff was being paid less than someone that the sheriff was supervising.
Regarding the 4.75 percent increase for four years, Lienau said he felt “uncomfortable” with an increase of that size.
The county would be locking in an increase of almost 5 percent for four years, or a 20 percent increase, along with benefits, but no one has any idea what the labor market will look like in two years, Lienau said.
Would it be possible for the county board to set the salary at the end of each year, instead of setting the salary for four years? he asked.
State law
Under state law, the salary for an elected official must be set before the time that nomination papers can be filed for the elected position, which in this case is April 15, said Nick Lange, Dunn County corporation counsel.
Once the salary is set, by state law, the salary cannot be changed for elected positions, which includes the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds, he said.
The proposed salaries are coming before the Committee on Administration for consideration, so the proposal can be debated and changed, Lange said.
Wilsey said in the industry he works in, top sales personnel are paid $200,000 per year, and top mechanics and managers are paid $150,000 per year.
The county wants people in positions who are educated. People will not leave their previous jobs for less money to run for the elected positions, so the wage has to be high enough, and “we want good people,” he said.
The salary seems like a high number, but people with comparable skills and job responsibilities can make more money in the private sector, said Jim Zons, county board supervisor from Colfax and a member of the Committee on Administration.
A 20 percent increase is still difficult to approve, Lienau said.
The Dunn County Committee on Administration unanimously approved the proposal for salary increases for the county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds.
The proposed salaries will go to the Dunn County Board for consideration at the February 21 meeting.
The Committee on Administration meets next on February 22 at 3 p.m. in the Dunn County Government Center.
