Commissioners vote to add meeting days, increase pay

In their last regularly scheduled June meeting, Carter County Commissioners voted to increase their pay from 56 percent to 70 percent of the base wage for the clerk and recorder.

According to Montana Code Annotated, each member of the board of county commissioners shall receive an annual salary equal to the annual salary established for the clerk and recorder, plus $2,000.

The code also reads that each board may elect to serve on a part-time rather than a full-time basis and receive part-time annual salaries based on the annual salary established for the clerk and recorder.

The change in percentage would equal an increase in pay of $7,946.48, or a total salary of $41,732.42 for each commissioner. The total salary could change year-over-year as it is a percentage of the clerk and recorder’s base wage.

A resolution first published in the Eagle last week shows that a public hearing will be held at Carter County Courthouse on Monday, July 20 at 2 p.m. to discuss the changes.

Prior to July 1 of this year, Carter County commissioners have held four regularly scheduled meetings each month, the first three Mondays and the last working regular day. The board has also elected to increase meeting days by adding the second and fourth Thursday of each month to the regular schedule. This change in schedule is also a part of the resolution and will be discussed at the public hearing.

In addition to regular meetings, the commissioners also attend special meetings, many of the most recent in regard to the hospital building project. Each year they also attend the Annual Montana Association of County Road Supervisors as well as district meetings. Some of these additional meetings have been canceled or have moved to an online platform this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minutes from the meeting when the proposed changes in salary and schedule were discussed were not available at the time of writing. The most recent minutes available from commission proceedings are dated June 22, before the proposed changes were made.

The full resolution can be found under the legal section on page 7 of this issue.

All interested parties are encouraged to attend the public hearing on July 20, 2 p.m. at Carter County Courthouse. Questions or comments should be sent to the Carter County Clerk and Recorder, at PO Box 315, Ekalaka, MT 59324; by emailing [email protected]; or by calling 406-775-8749.

Following is a list of contact information for the county commissioners found at https://cartercountymontana.squarespace.com/our-team:

Steve Rosencranz, Chairman

Home: 406-775-6218

Cell: 406-975-6218

Email: [email protected]

Rod Tauck

Home: 406-775-6628

Cell: 406-939-0780

Email: [email protected]

Mike Watkins

Home: 406-828-4512

Cell: 605-645-0076

Email: [email protected]