Like it or not, lawmakers to tackle salary issues

Lawmakers are faced with a slew of proposed government raisesjustas new legislative projections are showing there will be less moneyto go around.

"It's not good as far as public perception that we're talkingabout major holes in next year's budget while looking at payraises,"said House Finance Chairman Harold Michael, D-Hardy.

Yet, even with an anticipated deficit of $100 million in thebudget that lawmakers will write in 2000, the prevailing attitudeseems to be that the state would be worse off leaving salaries toolow to attract quality administrators."There are certain circumstances where we have problems withpeople's salaries being out of line," said Senate Finance ChairmanOshel Craigo, D-Putnam.Lawmakers and the governor have introduced 49 bills granting payraises to agency directors, judges and other court officials, andmembers of boards and commissions. The proposed increases add up tomore than $3 million.It's a small chunk of an overall state budget of about $2.66billion, House Speaker Bob Kiss said.Many of the proposed raises for administration officials are inthe $5,000 range.But some are higher.By Gov. Cecil Underwood's recommendation, the salary for theadjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard would jump from$50,000 to $65,000."The adjutant general has the lowest pay in the country for hisposition," said Pat Kelly, the governor's counsel. "When you comparepositions and what their responsibilities are, he's reallyunderpaid."The Human Rights Commissioner would get a similar raise, from$40,000 to $55,000. When Herman Jones resigned from the post lastMay, he cited the salary as one of the reasons.The chairman of the Public Service Commission would make $85,000in 2001, as opposed to $65,000 now.And while the governor proposes a $5,000 raise for the highwayscommissioner to $70,000, a bill in the Senate proposes pushing payfor that job up to $85,000."The highways commissioner is an engineer and most of theengineers who work for him make more than he does," Craigo said. "Heshould make at least as much. He shouldn't be penalized for assumingthe position of highways commissioner."Then there's one proposed raise for a position that no longerexists: the administrator for the Division of Energy, whose salarywould rise from $65,000 to $75,000.If money is appropriated for the Energy Director, it likely willbe absorbed by the Division of Environmental Protection's budget,Kiss said.Craigo and Michael said they believe some, but possibly not all,of the proposed raises will pass.Lawmakers may only consider pay raises for themselves every fouryears. Traditionally, they've applied the same rule to all otherstate officials whose salaries are set by the Legislature, Kisssaid.That tradition is a main reason Kiss supports many of the proposedraises."Eight years is too long for judges and department heads to gowithout a raise," he said.Of the proposed salary hikes, raises for judges and court staffwould take the most out of the budget, about $2.7 million.Salaries for Supreme Court justices would rise from $85,000 to$100,000, while pay for circuit judges would jump by the same marginto $95,000. Magistrates, which currently earn $26,625 in smalldistricts and $33,000 in larger districts, are all in line for$9,000raises.By contrast, State Police troopers have garnered little supportfor a bill that would give them a 25 percent raise. Police say theirpay is the worst in the region."State Police troopers in my opinion will get a $756 raise likeeverybody else," Craigo said.Teachers and other state employees are also getting the raise,which will cost the state about $54 million. It is the secondinstallment of a three-year raise approved by the Legislature lastyear.Lawmakers say they will not give themselves a raise, although theCitizens Legislative Compensation Commission has recommended a$3,000hike that would boost their salaries for the session to $18,000.Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, D-Logan, has said a majority ofthe 29 Senate Democrats would vote for the pay raise. Delegates donot support a pay raise, Kiss said.