Elected officials' pay raises to cost Carson up to $150,000

Carson City officials will have to find at least $120,000 for the next fiscal year budget to fund pay raises for elected officials recently approved by the state Legislature.

For Assessor Dave Dawley, elected in November, the raise that will go into effect for all July 1, will be "very nice" after just having taken a pay cut to take his new position. Dawley would receive nearly $14,000 more a year, bringing his base pay to $68,309.

"I kind of knew I had to take a cut in pay so I wasn't really anticipating a raise," Dawley said. "It's going to be interesting."

Salaries for county district attorneys and sheriffs will average 36 percent while raises for assessors, recorders, clerks, public administrators and treasurers will be 26.65 percent.

Elected commissioners in each county can also raise their pay up to, but not more than, 26.65 percent. Mayor Ray Masayko said the board will likely discuss and take action on raising board member salaries at its July 3 meeting.

Although board raises haven't been granted in eight years, Masayko said he doesn't see "any anxiousness to bring the Board of Supervisors increases forward."

For Carson City, Douglas, Elko, Lyon and Nye counties, clerks, assessors, recorders, treasurers and administrators will see their base increase from $51,360 to $68,309.

Carson District Attorney Noel Waters will increase from a base pay of $72,360 to $98,707 and Sheriff Kenny Furlong from $60,000 to $85,670.

Commissioners and supervisors in Nevada's 17 counties could get increases from $18,000 to $23,940.

Carson supervisors decided not to factor in the potential raises during the budget development process earlier this year, said Finance Director David Heath. Heath estimates the raises will cost $120,000 for the upcoming fiscal year to pay for raises to all but supervisors and the mayor, who must vote to approve their own pay hikes.

If approved by the board, the cost of raising pay to supervisors and the mayor is estimated at $30,000. Paying for the raises may mean dipping into city reserves, Heath said.

"We'll certainly find the funds to handle it for those people," Masayko said. "We've saved a lot of money not giving those people raises the last eight years."

The city will reopen its fiscal year 2003-2004 budget after the Legislature ends, allowing the city to readjust the budget to pay for the raises and any other items that were approved by the state requiring city funding.