Holbrook, NY - April 18, 2014 - Suffolk County Legislator Bill Lindsay III has recently introduced legislation that would eliminate automatic salary increases for all Suffolk County elected officials. Currently the Suffolk County Executive, Clerk, Comptroller, District Attorney, Sheriff, Treasurer, and all 18 Legislators, receive an annual pay increase equal to 4% or the increase in the regional consumer price index, whichever is lower. Though some elected officials have chosen to forgo the automatic annual increase, Lindsay III feels that now is the time to eliminate it all together.
“In tough economic times government needs to find ways to save taxpayer money,” said Lindsay III. “With a projected cost savings of over a half million dollars, this resolution does just that.”
According to the Legislature’s non-partisan Budget Review Office, Lindsay III’s Introductory Resolution 1300 is projected to save up to $512,000 by 2018 in long term savings through the elimination of salary increases and benefits. This resolution could produce additional savings if no increase in salary is voted on after 2018.
Under a 2000 County Law, elected officials are entitled to an automatic annual salary increase which has averaged 2.73% per year over the past ten years. By repealing this law, Suffolk County residents would now have a say in whether an elected official receives a salary increase, a method which has become commonplace in Nassau County, where lawmakers must publicly vote to give themselves a raise.
“This resolution will reduce spending, help decrease the deficit and give our residents more of a voice in the budgeting process,” stated Lindsay III
The Suffolk County Legislature will hold a public hearing for Introductory Resolution 1300 on Tuesday, April 29th at 2:30PM in the Maxine S. Postal Legislative Auditorium located at 300 Center Drive in Riverhead.