When the Tooele County Commissioners voted to raise their salary by 3.75 percent this week, their new annual salary became $65,396.
The salary of a county commissioner in counties just above and below Tooele County in population are less than a Tooele County Commissioner — but demographic and organizational differences make a direct comparison difficult.
In Box Elder County, the next county just below Tooele County in population, a county commissioner there made $42,129 in 2013.
But, Box Elder County considers its commissioners to be part-time employees where Tooele County commissioners have campaigned on a pledge to work full-time.
Cache County, with almost double the population of Tooele County, is the next county larger than Tooele County. Yet it pays its commissioners $10,226 a year.
However, Cache County’s government is a council/executive form of government. The elected Cache County executive made $94,432 in 2013.
Iron County commissioners are paid $41,965, but they are considered part-time employees and work out of their homes.
In Summit County, the seven member county council members averaged $31,374 each in 2011 while their appointed county manager earned $129,500.
Weber and Utah County commissioners are considered full-time employees and earn over $100,000 each, but their budgets and populations far exceed Tooele County’s population and budget.
Compared to the local average earnings of a worker, Tooele County commissioners get $11,446, or 22 percent, more than the average worker that lives in Tooele County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey.
Utah County Commissioners make 83 percent more than the average worker earns in their county, according to the same A.C.S. report.
In 2012 the base pay of a Tooele County commissioner was $67,432, with the commission chairman getting an additional $600 per year.
The Tooele County commissioners reduced their salaries in 2013 by $5,000, a 7.4 percent reduction, to a base pay of $62,432 with the commission chairman getting an additional $600.
Tooele County commissioners receive the same retirement and benefit package as all other county employees. They do not receive additional benefits such as a car allowance, cell phone allowance, or expense account that are not afforded to other employees.
The amount reported as benefits includes the county’s contribution to health and dental insurance and payment to the Utah Retirement System, as well as the county’s portion of social security, workers compensation, and unemployment compensation payments.