The Madison County board of supervisors will see a bump in their paychecks thanks to state legislators.
Senate Bill 2827, which passed during the 2019 legislative session, prompted the creation of a task force to study the salaries of county officials and make recommendations and also included pay raises for county supervisors and other county officials beginning January 2020.
The Madison County board of supervisors voted recently to approve the statutory pay increases, which raised the supervisors’ pay from $45,700 to $47,071. The increase took effect January 1.
The pay structure for county supervisors is based on the assessed value of the county, according to Steve Gray, director of Governmental Affairs for the Mississippi Association of Supervisors.
“That is the guide for their salaries,” Gray said. He added the average pay for Mississippi supervisors is in the high $30,000s or low $40,000s.
“Different counties grow at different paces,” Gray added.
However, he said there are two ways a salary increase can occur for supervisors.
Either a county’s assessed value moves it into the next bracket, which then allows the supervisors to vote for a pay increase, or an increase must have legislative approval. Gray said a county would have to see significant growth to move it to another bracket.
For counties having a total assessed valuation of $1 billion, but less than $2 billion, salaries for supervisors are set at $45,700. Counties with a total assessed valuation of $2 billion or more, the salary for supervisors is set at $46,700.
The annual salary established for the members of the board of supervisors is not reduced as a result of a reduction in total assessed valuation.
Before Senate Bill 2827, the last time a pay raise for county officials received legislative approval was in 2014.
Madison County’s population is approximately 105,630. According to the Chancery Clerk’s office, the assessed value of the county totals $1,738,286,052, which place is it fifth in the state for assessed value.
Other counties, such as Desoto, Hinds and Lafayette, also approved pay raises for county officials.
According to Lafayette County Administrator Lisa Carwyle, Lafayette County’s assessed value is approximately $700,000,000. The Lafayette County board of supervisors voted to approve the legislature increase for 2020, which increased supervisors’ pay from $44,700 to $46,041 at their regular meeting on January 6.
Desoto County Administrator Vanessa Lynchard said the county surpassed $2 billion in assessed value earlier in the year, and the board of supervisors voted to accept their raise. The Desoto County supervisors’ pay increased from $45,700 to $47,500.80.
Hinds County, which has a total assessed value of $2,001,588,389, has increased salaries for supervisors from $45,699 to $47,071.
Other statutory pay raises approved by Madison County supervisors include:
• Justice Court Judge, from $45,700 to $47,071;
• Registrar (Circuit Clerk), from $25,300 to $26,565;
• Assisting Election Commission (Circuit Clerk), from $84 per day to $100 per day;
• Tax Assessor, from $61,500 to $64,575;
• Tax Collector, from $61,500 to $64,575;
• Attending court (Chancery Clerk), from $50 per day to $85 per day;
• Attending court (Circuit Clerk), from $50 per day to $75 per day;
• Service of process (Constables), from $35 per instance to $45 per instance;
• Proceedings after judgement (Constables), from $35 per instance to $45 per instance;
• Failed case fee (Constables), from $1,800 to $2,500;
• Bailiff (Constables), from $40 per day to $55 per day;
• Coroner/medical examiner, from $10,800 to $15,000;
• Death investigation (Coroner/medical examiner), from $125 per instance to $175 per instance.
