MINNEAPOLIS — Hennepin County Board Chair Irene Fernando pulled a resolution that would have increased pay for county commissioners by 49%.
Currently, commissioners make $122,225 a year. The resolution would increase their pay to $182, 141, starting in 2025 with a 3% raise in 2026.
The percentage of the pay hike drew some criticism, which resulted in Fernando removing it from the agenda before the board could take a full vote on it.
“Even though they both passed out of committee is was very, very clear from the public, from legislators, from other individuals that what passed was not what residents were interested in,” she said.
She said the raise was necessary to improve board diversity and make sure commissioners are paid equitably.
“The commissioners should be the visionaries of Hennepin County, so I believe that to get the visionaries we need every single eligible candidate able to see themselves up here,” she said.
The higher salary would put commissioners at the low end of the pay scale for assistant county administrators.
Fernando based the higher salary off market research and study.
“This is a representative democracy and when we cap salaries for legislators, for suburban council members we are not permitting the people to send who they wish,” Fernando said.
Deborah Konechne with AFSCME Local 34 said she was shocked to learn the commissioners were considering increasing their salary by nearly 50%.
Konechne said their labor union, which focuses on social services, said they are currently in negotiations with their contract.
“Who is of more value here? You know, offering us 1% today, and then the commissioners are voting themselves 49%, who do they value. We’re the ones who make the county work,” she said.
Konechne said they have talked with commissioners for months about how residents are suffering.
“We are very short staffed, very overwhelmed with caseloads, and if they want to invest that kind of money they should be investing in increasing the number of staff and increasing the services,” she said. “To just ignore our cries about what’s going on and then give themselves this kind of increase has been shocking.”
Konechne is happy this resolution isn’t moving forward, but she said she would support a reasonable pay increase.
Fernando said because the board voted to take it off the agenda, it will allow another commissioner to generate a proposal.
She said she will not put forth a new resolution on this topic.
Fernando also pulled a second resolution that would increase pay for the sheriff and county attorney. The board voted to unanimously take that item off the agenda.