FRIDAY, May 15, 2026 |
Photo – Official seal of Carbon County – Bigfoot99 file photo
County officials want to raise the pay for elected positions, but ongoing budget cuts may limit their ability to do so.
During the May 5th Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, County Attorney Ashley Davis brought forward a proposal to raise salaries for elected officials. Attorney Davis explained that under state law, the Board must set the pay range for all elected positions once every four years.
Attorney Davis said most elected positions pay $85,000 a year, including the county clerk, clerk of district court, coroner, treasurer, and assessor. Commissioners earn $30,000. The county attorney is paid $125,000, and the sheriff earns $100,000. Davis said elected officials received a 16.3 percent pay raise in 2022, but those salaries have not changed since.
Attorney Davis said she and elected county officials met to discuss potential salary increases. She emphasized that any raises apply to the position, not the individual, since officeholders may change in the next election cycle. Even so, Davis said the individuals currently in the roles best understand the work involved and the compensation the jobs warrant.
The county attorney said that over the past four years, every elected position has taken on significantly more responsibility, adding that recent property tax relief programs have placed additional demands on the assessor and treasurer.
Attorney Davis said recent legal changes have created more work for her office, the clerk of court, and the sheriff’s office. In addition, several largescale local projects have added pressure on the Board of Commissioners.
Attorney Davis said the county’s finances may change, especially in light of additional proposed tax cuts, but the responsibilities of those holding elected office will not. She said less tax revenue may require reducing the number of county employees, placing even more demand on elected officials. Davis said so‑called “unfunded mandates,” or policies set by the state without allocated funding, also create more work for elected officials.
Attorney Davis added that many elected officials work through illness and often outside regular business hours.
To keep pace with inflation, the county attorney recommended a 12.3 percent salary increase. Attorney Davis said under the proposed adjustment, county officials making $85,000 would receive a $10,455 raise.
County commissioners would earn $33,690, and the sheriff’s salary would rise to $112,300. The county attorney would be paid $153,700, the same amount the state’s circuit judges receive. Attorney Davis said even with the salary increase, the county will still be paying less than it would for a private attorney.
Attorney Davis said that under the current pay schedule, she is earning the equivalent of $94.32 an hour. She added that the relatively low salary makes it difficult to recruit attorneys into the county attorney’s office, a challenge that isn’t unique to Carbon County.
Attorney Davis said the Wyoming legislature typically reimburses counties $50,000 for attorney salaries. This year, however, the state allocated an additional $22,123.90. Davis said under the appropriation, the county would be responsible for covering the remaining $81,500 of her salary, if the commissioners approve the proposed raise.
Attorney Davis also proposed a two or three percent annual salary increase after the initial 12.6 percent raise to avoid the need for another large pay increase in four years.
Commission Vice Chairwoman Gwynn Bartlett asked if the elected officials also discussed employee salaries. Davis said individual departments may have specific salary needs, but they agreed that a two percent raise was appropriate.
Next, Bartlett asked if the elected officials discussed how to pay for the proposed raises. The vice chairwoman said they must have taken the recent employment freezes into account when considering the salary increases.
Attorney Davis said the discussion focused more on the state legislature’s push to reduce the size of local government, acknowledging that every department has had to reduce staff.
Vice Chair Bartlett asked if the elected officials considered pay increases for department heads, including IT, Emergency Management, and Road and Bridge. Bartlett added that those salaries are generally linked to the compensation of elected officials. Attorney Davis recognized the importance of the department heads but said the committee did not consider their pay ranges.
The Board agreed that pay raises are justified but warned that the county may lack the funding to implement them. The matter will be discussed again during a future Board of Commissioners meeting.
