Many county officials in Mississippi received raises in a 2019 bill passed by the Legislature. That included 5% more for chancery and circuit clerks, plus additional fees for constables and coroners.
The Legislature also gave approval for Boards of Supervisors to get a 3% raise, but the supervisors in each county were required to vote to accept the raises.
The Marion County Board of Supervisors approved accepting the raise by a 3-2 vote Monday. While it always sits a little wrong with the public to see the people who represent them vote to increase their own salaries, in this case it’s not unreasonable.
For one thing, supervisors have not received a pay increase since 2003, yet inflation has increased some 30% over that period. Also, other county officials got raises that were greater percentage-wise and didn’t have to vote to accept them. Finally, 3% won’t break the bank.
Certainly supervisors know what the position pays when they choose to run and county budgets are pinched, but to attract good people for public offices you have to pay a fair salary. In this case, a modest increase was merited.
