Legislators unable to come up with the needed votes (photo: Orysia Dmytrenko)
GOSHEN – Orange County management officials were denied salary increases at Thursday’s Legislative meeting, as an agenda item to “amend the Management Compensation Plan and Salary Schedule” was voted down 10 to 9. Eleven votes were needed for the act to statutorily pass.
Additionally, “fixing the compensation,” i.e., raising the pay, for Orange County elected officials, including the county executive and the county clerk, as well as county legislators also proved elusive as these scheduled items were withdrawn from Thursday’s meeting of the legislative body with no discussion, and would be returned to committee.
Legislator Jeffrey Berkman (D,C,I) said while he opposes management pay raises, he was surprised by the vote.
“Not only do I oppose this large raise for each legislator, but also for the county executive,” said Berkman. “It would have boosted the county executive’s salary to over $200,000. I don’t think the governor makes that.”
Democrat Minority Leader Matt Turnbull said if the agenda items relating to pay raises for elected officials were going back to committee, then his Republican colleagues were having a hard time lining up votes in support of the plan.
