The Carbon County Commissioners nixed several motions from last week’s salary board meeting that would have given several employees 6% raises, citing a case out of Monroe that allowed the motions to be overturned.

On Thursday, the commissioners, in 2-1 votes, shot down eight motions that would implement the 6% salary increases for the courts, district attorney, prothonotary, public defender, recorder of deeds, register of wills, treasurer and sheriff’s offices. The motions were approved 3-2 last Thursday by the salary board. Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein was the only yes vote on the motions.

Commissioner Rocky Ahner, prior to the vote, echoed his thoughts from last week, saying that while he is in favor of increasing salaries for the employees, the 6% was not a good solution because it isn’t fair to the lowest paid employees vs. the highest paid employees.

“I’ve been looking for people to get the right salary at the right positions,” he said, adding that he hopes the departments can all sit down to figure out a solution that would help all the employees.

Ahner pointed out that in the Cadue vs. Moore case out of Monroe, which was ruled on in 1994, the courts said that increases like this couldn’t be made if a department’s budget would be exhausted.

“I don’t think we should be separating departments that one gets a raise and the other one doesn’t,” Ahner said, adding that this request was for a budget request and tax increase.

County Solicitor Robert Frycklund said that in case law, the courts regard the salary board as a “watchdog agency.”

“(This case) confirmed that the salary board’s actions cannot compel the commissioners to implement salaries that exceed what is in the current budget for department salaries,” he said, adding that while some departments would have enough money in their budgets to cover the increases, it wouldn’t be fair for everyone.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich said that the salary board recommendations that the commissioners voted on “were clearly challenging the legal taxing and budgeting authority of the board of commissioners, and not only for this board of commissioners, but for all 60 counties that are governed by the county code across the commonwealth.”

Lukasevich said he felt the action was “undermining our legal authority and responsibility of a board” to conduct and adopt a budget annually.

“This would have clearly, if approved, would have imposed what I would argue as an illegal tax on the citizens of Carbon County,” he said, adding that he also felt this was an “attempt to circumvent the budget process.”

Nothstein said that while these actions regarding salary board motions are rare, it does happen.

He also noted that he felt the reason to move forward on this matter is because the county can’t retain qualified employees due to the salaries.

Nothstein cited resignations in the county IT department and the low hourly wages compared to the responsibilities of the department.

Asked if the county would consider the federal $15 minimum wage, Nothstein said that Carbon wouldn’t be able to afford it.

The commissioners said that they hope to now work with row officers to best determine proper pay increases for employees that would benefit them and help retain qualified people.

The county has approximately 300 full-time and 100 part-time employees.