Pima County Administrator Charles H. Huckelberry has proposed a 2-1/2 percent salary increase for all county employees, with details to be presented to the Board of Supervisors sometime in April. Huckelberry told the press that the plan would cost about $12 million, but the costs would be offset by rising property valuations (and therefore, higher property taxes).
As reported by ADI on March 7, about three percent of Pima County’s 7200 employees earn over $100,000 annually, not including benefits. The County Administrator’s base pay is $288,000, and that does not include such items as a $6,600/year cash car allowance.
Rounding off, the median household income in Pima County is $47,000. The median income of all county workers is $45,000, so raises are in order. But for the top three percent, the median income is over $113,000. A percentage salary increase would generate about $21 a week for most employees, but over $50 a week for the elite. Huckelberry stands to get at least $138 a week increase, and that is on top of his 2017 increase of $154 a week.
Without the details, it is not known whether the employee share of benefit costs will increase, further reducing their take-home pay. A proposed sales tax, if enacted, would further cut the actual increase. It’s hot dogs for most county employees while the elite can have another steak dinner at a restaurant every week.
Percentage increases have another disadvantage. They maintain classification disparities which are often gender-based, while across-the-board wage hikes raise everyone’s purchasing power. The national cost-of-living increases for 2017 averaged 2.3 percent. While Tucson is slightly below the national average, the costs of groceries and health care are slightly higher.