KINGSTON – The positions of Ulster County executive, sheriff and comptroller have not had a pay raise since 2009 and the county clerk has had no increase since 2005.
County Comptroller March Gallagher has issued a report noting those positions have not even had a cost-of-living adjustment.
“We are out of lockstep with surrounding counties, and I think this is going to make it hard to recruit talented individuals to those positions and it also means when increases are considered, they have to be larger to make up the difference, which is harder to do,” she said.
Gallagher is particularly concerned about the sheriff’s salary, which is “significantly less than the people who report to him, creating a situation where there is no incentive for experienced undersheriffs, deputies and police chiefs to run for office.”
Gallagher said the county has “a strong financial position,” and she urged the Periodic Compensation Review Commission and the county legislature to “take the opportunity to address these salary inconsistencies.”
