Milwaukee County Board adopts smaller raises for 3 top officials after David Crowley veto

With no discussion and a swift vote, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt a smaller raise of 11.5% for three of the county's top elected officials during a last-minute special meeting Friday called after the county executive vetoed higher raises.

Supervisors voted 14-4 in favor of the raises, with "no" votes from Supervisors Willie Johnson Jr., Steven Shea, Steve Taylor and Kathleen Vincent.

The positions are currently paid about $91,500 annually. The pay would jump to about $102,000 in 2025 for the positions.

The decision allowed the board trying to avoid overriding County Executive David Crowley's veto, which blocked the approval of a 36% raise last month for treasurer, clerk and register of deeds in 2025.

All three of the current officials — Treasurer David Cullen, County Clerk George Christenson and Register of Deeds Israel Ramón — are up for re-election this fall, and the raises will go into effect for the winners of those elections.

While Christenson said he respected the board's decision, he felt more time was needed to consider the matter. He said human resources officials were slow to deliver their pay analysis to the board.

"If the Department of Human Resources had gotten their recommendations in a more timely fashion and instead of at the last minute then there would have been more time for the board and other others to consider what does make the most sense and come up with a more comprehensive approach," Christenson said. "If HR just did a better job, I think it wouldn't have been such a boondoggle."

Late last week, Supervisor Shawn Rolland circulated a newer resolution proposing the 11.5% compensation increase, an amount that reflected what Crowley and his administration proposed before the board recommended 36% raises.

The 11.5% raise for the three elected, partisan officers must now be sent to Crowley for approval.

Of the decision Crowley told the Journal Sentinel: "I'm pleased the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors agreed to our original, proposed salary increase for these constitutional officers. As we look ahead, we must promote fiscal responsibility and equity-based policies to ensure the investments we deploy advance our vision and move Milwaukee County forward."

Contact Vanessa Swales at 414-308-5881 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @Vanessa_Swales.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County Board OKs smaller raises for 3 top officials