Harford Council Approves Pay Raise for County Executive

The Harford County Council voted Tuesday to give a pay raise to the county executive from $105,000 to $130,000, according to ABC 2 News. The increase will take effect in July 2015, with next year’s budget.

Council President Billy Boniface and Councilmember Mary Ann Lisanti introduced legislation requesting the salary increase in August, which included increases for both the county executive and council members. They withdrew the bill that would give council members a pay increase; Boniface told The Aegis there weren’t enough votes to pass it.

On Tuesday night, Boniface prefaced a public hearing on the matter of the county executive’s salary by explaining that any adjustment to the salary must be done when a new county executive comes into office, which will happen this December. The last time the county executive received a salary increase was in 1999, he added.

The Harford County executive’s salary was set at $90,000 in 2004 and has increased to $105,000 in connection with consumer price indices since then, according to The Aegis.

Before Tuesday’s public hearing, Boniface compared the Harford County executive’s salary to his counterparts in the other six largest jurisdictions in Maryland. Harford has the smallest in population of those in what is referred to as “the big seven” jurisdictions and its executive receives the lowest salary. Boniface added that county council members in Montgomery and Prince George’s receive higher salaries than the Harford County executive.

More than 20 people testified against the county executive’s salary increase at the hearing, one calling it “appalling” since school system employees have not received pay increases in eight years, ABC 2 News reported. Boniface said the school system includes 110 employees (or approximately 2 percent of its work force) who make more than $100,000. He said the Board of Education creates the school system’s budget, and the council has fully funded the board’s requests each year.

County Executive David Craig told ABC 2 News that he would veto the salary increase legislation if it were passed. According to The Aegis, votes from five council members may override the veto.