Comp. board now officially disbanded

DISBANDED

I don’t like that the federal government can set their own salary and there’s no check on that except voting them out. I would prefer there be a check on us.”

Tim Wondra, Lee County Supervisor

LEE COUNTY – The Lee County Board of Supervisors officials disbanded the county’s Compensation Board by a slim margin Monday afternoon.
Supervisors Ginger Knisely and Tim Wondra voted against disbanding the board, while supervisors Denise Fraise, Chuck Holmes, and Garry Seyb each voted in favor of disbanding the board.
Seyb took some time before casting his vote.
Wondra said he didn’t feel right having the board be the sole decision maker in setting salaries for themselves.
The board actually voted to disband the board in February, but there was no resolution in the packet to vote on so the vote had to be tabled until Monday.
“My only thought on this, with already having three “yea” votes to pass it is, on our side I’d rather have someone else decide our salary,” Wondra said.
“I don’t like that the federal government can set their own salary and there’s no check on that except voting them out. I would prefer there be a check on us.”
Supervisor Chuck Holmes said the supervisors have historically declined any pay increases.
“We’re at the very bottom as it is,” Holmes said.
Wondra said the board has been very good at keeping its own salaries down to keep the burden off taxpayers, but he said that may not always be the case and the compensation board is a check on that.
“We’ve been a great board for that, but who’s to say the next people that come in aren’t gonna say, ‘Hey, let’s jack ourselves up a bit. This is lot of hard work and a lot of my time. Let’s up our pay',” This way there’s a check and balance.”
Fraise said supervisors have never done what the compensation board recommended anyway.
The compensation’s board most recent annual meeting resulted in a recommendation for a pay raise for the Lee County Auditor, Treasurer, and Recorder at $84,000 and did not recommend an increase for the sheriff, county attorney, or supervisors.
The recommendations are taken under advisement by the Lee County Board who can now, under new Iowa code, do what they want with the recommendations of the compensation board.
An Iowa law passed in May allowed the county the choice to disband the board, as well as giving supervisors more latitude in what they do with the comp board’s recommendation.
The 2025-26 Lee County Assessor budget approved by the Conference Board also in February gave County Assessor Patti Meierotto a $7,500 raise taking her salary to $102,000. Deputy Assessor Stacy Dickens’ salary is 85% of Meierotto’s and her published gross wages in 2024 were $78,670. Deputy Auditor Megan Kirchner’s salary moved to $71,400 from $68,981 in wages, and appraiser Andrea Jorgenson’s salary jumped to $61,200 from $54,892 in wages. All those positions are statutorily linked to the assessor’s.