Supervisors reject proposal to merge elected offices

Auditor-controller Marcia Salter was appointed the interim treasuer-tax collector at Tuesday's meeting. The Board also voted to give her a 15 percent raise for 2010, which increases her pay to $138,000.

Supervisors Nate Beason, Ted Owens, John Spencer and Ed Scofield said they all had heard concerns from constituents about an eliminating an elected office. They also questioned whether adequate checks and balances could be in place to insure the combined offices would manage the county’s funds appropriately and what efficiencies might be realized by combining the two offices. Supervisor Hank Weston abstained from voting.

 Supervisor John Spencer made the motion to reject the proposal and it was seconded by Supervisor Ed Scofield. Supervisor Hank Weston abstained.

 Earlier in Tuesday’s meeting, the board voted 5-0 to appoint Auditor-Controller Marcia Salter to be the interim treasurer-tax collector for the reminder of 2010 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Chris Dabis.

 The Board also voted to give Salter a 15 percent raise to $138,000 for the remainder of the year. Both the auditor-controller’s and treasurer-tax collector’s positions are up for election in 2010.

 Supervisors Nate Beason, Ted Owens, Spencer and Scofield said they all had heard concerns from constituents about eliminating an elected office. They also questioned whether adequate checks and balances could be in place to insure the combined offices would manage the county’s funds appropriately and what efficiencies might be realized by combining the two offices.

 “Can you really have one person fill two positions,” Scofield said.

“I don’t think the issue is so much the savings, but the process in the county,” said Nate Beason, who was elected as the board chair for 2010 earlier in the meeting.

 County CEO Rick Haffey first brought the proposal to the Board on Jan. 5 to take advantage of what was described as a window of opportunity to merge the offices that was presented when Dabis left her office on Dec. 31, creating the vacancy before the next election in June.

 He said the county could save $150,000 a year by combining the offices. The county’s annual budget is approximately $180 million.

 All the supervisors who voted against the proposal cited the public’s concern about eliminating an elected position in less than one week after it was proposed.

“This has come about quite suddenly to the general public,” Spencer said. “They are concerned.”