Erie County officials vote ‘yes’ to officials pay raises

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Top elected officials in Erie County government will see a big boost in pay in the next several years. On Thursday the Erie County Legislature voted 'yes' on a proposed pay increase for county officials.

A decision that caused heated comments from both sides. Majority Caucus leader Timothy Meyers says, “this is just to keep the formula the way it is.” Minority Caucus leader John Mills added, “It was not a good day for the tax payers of Erie County today.”

With a 6-5 vote, increases in salary will go to the county executive, comptroller, sheriff, and clerk with pay increases for full time elected positions ranging from 25-47 percent. County legislators will see a 53-percent raise.

“I think it's inappropriate to tell the residents who we represent out there that we need these kinds of dollars to serve,” said Mills.

“If you combine the salary of all 11 legislatures here in Erie County, we're the second lowest throughout the state,” added Meyers.

These are the new salaries for elected officials in Erie County government:

• County Executive’s salary would be $175,000 (up from $139,932)
• Comptroller’s salary would be $140,000 (up from $107,160)
• Sheriff’s salary would be $150,000 (up from $101,811)
• Clerk’s salary would be $130,000 (up from $90,129)
• Legislature base salary would be $65,000 (up from $42,588), which leadership positions getting stipends

“The constituents that we represent, they don't get to vote to give themselves a $20,000 raise from other people's hard-earned money. We shouldn't be doing that as well,” added Republican Legislature Lindsey Lorigo.

“There's not a lot of people that can devote this time as their job for $43,000 a year,” continued Meyers.

Democrats on the floor also pushed through a local law by a 7-4 vote that would allow for a simple majority vote of the legislature to extend the county's sales tax each year.

“People from around Erie County are depending on this money and they want this because it goes into their budget planning. This way it ensures that they're going to get that money. There are no 11th hour shenanigans,” Meyers continued.

“This only makes it easier to continue to extend the temporary sales tax. They're not going to try and lower it. We have a spending problem in Erie County, and this only makes it easier to continue that issue,” Lorigo concluded.

The proposition to need only a simple majority to pass the sales tax will be on the ballot in November, and the pay raises won't go into effect till the beginning of the new term for that office.