One speaker came forward to address substantial pay increases for select Niagara County employees as well as all county legislators during the public hearing on the proposed 2024 county budget Tuesday night.
Jill Stuart, a self-described “concerned taxpayer” who also is employed by the county, addressed the proposed raises for County Manager Rick Updegrove, Human Resources Director Peter Lopes and Public Information Officer Kevin Schuler specifically.
Per the proposed budget: Updegrove’s salary would increase by $17,549, to $161,500; Lopes’ salary would increase by $12,383, to $125,000; and Schuler’s salary would increase by $3,647, to $107,842.
Stuart told the legislature she did the math and figured out that, supposing the salaries in the 2024 budget are approved, Updegrove’s pay has gone up by 36.5% ($43,000) since 2017, Lopes’ pay has gone up by 49.5% ($43,000) since 2015, and Schuler’s pay has increased by 55.5% ($38,000) since 2019.
Her implication was those increases aren’t justified. Although she didn’t say that, specifically, during the public hearing, she told this reporter afterward that she’d like to know how those raises were earned. The percentages of increase far exceed the increases for other county employees, she said.
In an earlier public hearing, on a proposed local law increasing the salary of the commissioner of the Niagara County Department of Social Services, Stuart registered her objection to a $23,000 increase (23.7%) for Commissioner Meghan Lutz. The law, which the legislature adopted on a 15-0 vote in the business meeting that followed the hearings, raises the commissioner’s salary to $120,000 next year and provides for a 2% increase in 2025.
Asked whether top-level employees have received bigger raises than rank-and-file county workers, budget director Dan Huntington said the most common county job title, social worker at the Department of Social Services, saw annual raises that work out to a 22% pay increase since 2022.
While addressing the legislature, Stuart also asked the lawmakers to consider “spreading out” their proposed 22.7% raise over a period of several years. A late budget amendment, filed after the release of the 2024 tentative budget by the County Manager, shows a $5,000 increase in the base pay of legislators, taking their salary to $24,075 from $19,075 currently.
As is standard practice, none of the legislators responded to Stuart during the public hearing.
After the hearing, 15th district legislator Mike Hill said the raises for top-level employees and elected officers were considered carefully.
“A great deal of thought and time went into determining the raises,” Hill said.
The legislature’s vote on adoption of the 2024 county budget is slated for Dec. 12.