LEE COUNTY – A former Keokuk City Councilwoman bristled at Lee County Supervisors Tuesday morning about supervisor pay raises that were included in the 2026-27 fiscal year budget.
Supervisors approved close to $11,000 pay raises for themselves in the budget, taking supervisor pay to $40,000 per year, up from just over $29,000. Dorothy Cackley of Keokuk broke down the impacts of the pay raises saying now the positions are worth more than $65,000 each with benefits included.
She pointed out Supervisor Chuck Holmes doesn’t take any of the health insurance, so the impact of his salary increase is reduced compared to others.
“The impression that you’ve given the people for asking for more than a 30% increase has been staggering, as far as their outlook on you,” she said.
“Politics involved - you are supposed to be conservative people and you’ve elevated yourselves to a level that it’s going to come back to bite you in the behind somewhere along the line, if you're anticipating continuing in this position and you keep supporting this raise,” she said hinting at re-elections.
Cackley said the county “conveniently” got rid of the compensation board to get advice on salary increases for elected officials.
She also touched on expense funds that supervisors have access to and said two supervisors, who she didn’t name, use their expense fund more frequently than others.
Supervisor Garry Seyb jumped in first for the supervisors.
“You mentioned politics and as far as politics, I don’t care. I never have. It’s irrelevant. I believe that we should do what’s right and, if that gets me unelected, so be it. I’m fine with that. It’s what our country was founded on,” he said.
Seyb also addressed her reference to the compensation board.
“What we saw repeatedly with the compensation board was that they wanted supervisors to take a raise, repeatedly. Every year, and what the board decided to do, I believe for political reasons, was they said 'Nope, we’re not taking one',” Seyb said.
“That was for votes. Hoping to curry favor with the voting public.”
He said that was done repeatedly, which is why he voted for disbanding the board, because supervisors routinely shrugged off the recommendations of the comp. board to the point where compensation board members voiced concerns.
Ginger Knisley and Tim Wondra both voted against disbanding the compensation board.
Seyb said the comp. board had value in being an independent group that advised elected officials on salary increases.
“But if we’re not going to follow it, and people make votes for political reasons, we end up in the position we’re in now. I agree that our raise is substantial and it’s going to catch the eye of everyone and it should,” Seyb said.
“But if people take the time to look back at the past decade plus the raises that we're recommending, we are actually receiving less than the recommendations of those period of years.”
Cackley said she had a short term in public service on the city council and did it for the good of the county. She did it for $200 a month and donated that wage back to the community.
“You folks knew your wage when you ran for the positions,” she said. “That’s where I think a big part of the rub comes for the increase.”
Seyb said any of the supervisors is welcome to donate any portion of their salaries to any organization they want if they don’t think the salary is justified. Supervisor Denise Fraise said that it is still a tax burden on county property taxpayers.
Supervisors disbanded the compensation board a little more than a year ago under revised Iowa code that permitted it, but the code required any county board that disbanded its compensation board to be saddled with the same responsibilities. Supervisor Chair Ginger Knisley said the county did its diligence in finding comparables to use in setting the wage. She said the county still lags other comparable counties in terms of population.
“You have to do the work, do the comparables. And there was no way to do that and then say, ‘never mind’,” she said.
Cackley said that the rest of the paid staff at the county also probably feel they are underpaid and would like the board of supervisors to consider that aspect, as well.
Supervisor Holmes said he disagreed with Seyb’s assessment that past supervisors declined wage increases because of political reasons.
“I whole heartedly disagree with that. I think they declined them because they felt they were adequately compensated for a part-time job,” he said.
“We owe the property taxpayers of Lee County the best bargain they can get. I’m speaking for myself, but they’ve got a good bargain, they’ve got good supervisors and, like Dorothy said, you knew what you were getting when you ran for the job.”
Knisley cited Iowa code 331.907 which she said indicates a decrease in recommended compensation has to be considered no less than 30 days before the budget is certified, which was done at last week’s board meeting.
“A decrease in compensation paid to supervisors shall be adopted by the board of supervisors no less than 30 days before the county budget is certified, under Iowa Code section 24.17,” Knisley said.
Fraise countered saying the Dept. of Management says you don’t have to spend that money just because it’s budgeted. Fraise also said she didn't support the big one-time jump to correct the lag.
In other action, the county approved a grant to the Lee County Fair in the amount of just over $15,000 to help fund a new concrete parking lot at the Learning Center on the Fair Grounds in Donnellson. The group had requested the full amount of the project at $31,500, but the board voted to fund half because the Fair had indicated in their application they would be seeking additional funding sources, but couldn’t provide any documentation to support those efforts.
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