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CASPER, Wyo. — A proposed 12% pay increase for Natrona County’s elected officials sparked debate Tuesday among county commissioners, who voiced concerns about looming revenue shortfalls and prioritization of raises for regular county employees.
County Clerk Tracy Good presented the joint request on behalf of the county’s elected officials during the board’s afternoon work session. She said statutory duties, reporting requirements and operational demands have grown significantly. Because state statute mandates that elected officials’ salaries must be set before June 1 for the upcoming four-year term, Good urged the commissioners to consider the raises at their May 19 meeting.
“We took a careful and responsible approach when requesting the increase, which is spread over a four-year period and represents a very small portion of the county budget,” Good said, explaining that the proposal asks for a 12% jump in the first year, followed by 2% annual increases for the remaining three years.
The proposal included an exception for the Natrona County sheriff, whose requested salary would increase to $140,000 compared to $128,800 for the other officials. Addressing the board, Sheriff John Harlin spoke about the 24-hour nature of the job, the management of 159 employees and an office budget approaching $20 million.
“I look at it objectively not as my pay but the pay of the office and the duties and responsibilities of the office of the sheriff,” he told commissioners, adding it’s a humbling and difficult conversation to have when regular employees have not yet had their raises approved.
Several commissioners balked at the initial 12% bump, citing a 14% year-over-year drop in property tax revenues and a pending Baker Tilly compensation study intended to address county staff wages.
“The biggest concern I have is what the revenue projections are and how much they have dropped and our employees as well with the wage study,” Commissioner Dave North said. “I do remember how bad the commission got beat up four years ago for authorizing raises when we were kind of tight at that point in time.”
Commissioner Peter Nicolaysen agreed that while elected officials deserve compensation that attracts top talent, the proposed figures were too steep in light of the county’s financial reality.
“It’s easy to say personnel or people before projects. It’s really hard to execute or implement that because, you know, if you don’t have equipment that runs, then our road and bridge people, you know, they can only do so much,” he said.
The board ultimately tabled the salary discussion, opting to revisit the resolution at a special meeting May 12 to allow more time to evaluate the budget.
Other updates
Beyond the salary debate, the board heard several updates from county department heads. Road & Bridge Superintendent Mike Haigler told commissioners that the Squaw Creek Road project bidding was canceled and pushed to Thursday due to an influx of questions from contractors regarding single-lane access during construction.
Development Director Sabrina Kemper briefly noted that her department held initial conversations with Prometheus Hyperscale, a company exploring the establishment of a data center in Converse County paired with a power plant and workforce hub to house workers in Natrona County.
Human Resources and Risk Director Danielle Krucheck reported that the county will issue a request for proposals for employee drug and alcohol screening services. She also said that property insurance assessments through the Wyoming Association of Risk Management increased this year to $731,379, a rise she attributed to the addition of the health department.
In community updates, Rebecca Bouzis introduced the board to the new Among Friends Adult Day Center, a social model facility on South Poplar Street designed for residents aged 50 and older living with dementia or age-related conditions.
“We have noted a real gap in services in our community for the older individual or people with dementia, Alzheimer’s,” Bouzis said, describing her own family’s struggles to find daytime care for her sister-in-law. The center is scheduled to host a grand opening celebration on June 18.
