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Chisago County Commissioners gave themselves a zero raise for 2023 in action last week setting salaries for officeholders, non-union posts and the rate of pay for citizen appointees and committee attendance.  This compensation has been $50 for many years and was increased to $65.  

County board members get $33,395 annually plus claims for mileage and the per diems for job-related meetings on days the Board doesn’t already meet.  

Over the last 10 years the commissioner wage has gone from $26,871 to the frozen, adopted amount.

In action for other officeholders compensation in 2023: $151,879 for the sheriff and county attorney, $133,418 for the Chief Deputy Sheriff, and the County Administrator $154,750. These take into consideration the Baker Tilly analysis.

The county contracted for a wage study through Baker Tilly consultants and the wage schedule results showed a number of positions not included in negotiations needed attention.

County Administrator Chase Burnham said this type of study has not been done for decades and 16 counties’ salaries were analyzed.  The new wage schedule should set up a system to make sure hires are in line with the market and result in better staff retention.

The contracts for the nine negotiating units administratively handled separately are still pending.

In other business: advertisement and soliciting bids for the trail extension out of North Branch to Harris got the okay.  The start of trail construction is slated for this spring with completion in October 2023.  This project got a grant in 2020 but site inspection and other steps in the process like acquiring permanent easements, have been on-going.

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