The Butler County coroner position will see a significant salary increase starting next year.
County Commissioners voted 2-1 to approve the $13,000 raise which will go into effect starting next January. Commissioners Kim Geyer and Leslie Osche voted in favor of the resolution.
“There’s not many people that do this job, and are willing to do, so I think by making this more in line with the rest of the elected positions, we will better position our county going forward,” Geyer said.
Osche also added that she evaluated other similar counties and found that the coroner’s salary was on par with other elected officials.
“In the research that I did, I went out and looked at other class four counties in Pennsylvania,” Osche said. “All those counties, the coroner salary–which I think is important position in our county–is on par with other elected officials.”
“And this is about the position, not about the person,” Osche added.
The coroner position is up for re-election this year. Current Butler County coroner has not made a formal announcement as to whether or not he’ll seek another four years.
Currently, the coroner earns just over $73,000 per year. Other elected county row offices make $86,000.
Commissioner Kevin Boozel voted against the measure.
“I did get some concerns from neighboring counties, that if we moved [the salary] too much, that they would be pressure to move their salaries up,” Boozel said. “So there would be a ripple effect.”
Boozel also said he felt there would always a sentiment from the public that the coroner position doesn’t have set office hours where people can come in, and have access to the coroner on a consistent basis.
“Where I sit out, I’m concerned about budgeting, but I think this is a $13,000 leap that is not warranted at this time,” Boozel said.
As part of the resolution, other county row offices will receive a two percent increase annually, other than the commissioners themselves. That’s up one percent from the previous seven years—which was the last time salaries were adjusted for elected officials in the county.
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