Most county officials know that when budget time comes around, so do requests for salary increases. This year, Robert Antonacci, the Onondaga County comptroller, and Ann Ciarpelli, the county clerk, asked for salary raises to be added into the 2012 proposed budget.

Antonacci, who currently makes less money than all but one county official, requested a $12,640 salary raise, which would increase his salary from $87,160 to $99,800. Ciarpelli asked for a $6,000 raise, which would increase her salary from $72,654 to $78,654.

County Legislator Marty Masterpole (D-17th District) said it is normal for elected officials to ask for raises during budget season. Jim Maturo, one of Antonacci’s deputy accounting comptrollers, said people usually ask for raises in the year their seat is up for election. He said sometimes it is hard for raises to be approved midterm.

But Masterpole said Antonacci’s situation is tricky because he is a notably underpaid official. At the same time, the position has been underpaid for years. It will be hard to convince taxpayers of this kind of salary increase with the current state of the economy, he said.

‘Nobody likes a $12,000 raise,’ Masterpole said. ‘The taxpayers certainly see that as a big raise for one year, but the position has been underpaid for decades. Prior elected comptrollers didn’t ask for raises because the position didn’t receive raises.’

Maturo said Antonacci requested a $20,000 pay raise in last year’s budget, which was reduced during the budget process. It was passed by the Legislature with a 15-2 vote, but then County Executive Joanie Mahoney vetoed the vote. Right now, the requested amount of $12,640 has not been reduced, which Maturo said is a good sign.

Masterpole said it is a little unrealistic that the county’s chief fiscal officer, James Rowley, makes $30,000 more than Antonacci, but the gap has widened throughout the years due to the comptroller position’s neglect. If the raise is denied this year, it will only be a bigger number next year, he said.

‘He’s in the end of his term, so we decided to ask for the raise this year,’ Maturo said.

County Clerk Ciarpelli said she hasn’t heard anything negative about her salary increase request, which is a good thing, especially since the Ways and Means Committee has already passed the budget as is.

‘I didn’t get a raise last year. I was turned down, as was everyone else, I believe,’ Ciarpelli said. ‘I won’t know until it goes to session, it’s kind of up in the air. There are pros and cons on both sides.’

As far as county residents being concerned about tax increases in addition to the salary raises, she said she hopes they are taking everything into consideration.

‘In light of everything we do, my office runs very efficiently,’ Ciarpelli said. ‘It’s something that should be looked at. We strive to save as much money as possible, and my hope is that they will take all of those things into consideration.’

The Ways and Means Committee approved the budget last Friday, and the next step is the public hearing, which is at 7 p.m. Thursday. Ciarpelli said during the public hearing, which she will be attending, people can bring various pieces of the budget to attention if they have concerns.

If the legislature chooses to amend the budget after that point, they can. The final vote on the amended budget is Oct. 11. The Legislature can come up with any dollar figure it finds reasonable, Masterpole said. But, like last year, the county executive has the final say, and the only way her decision can be overruled is with a two-thirds vote by the Legislature.

Masterpole said he is pretty neutral about passing the salary increases. He said if the raises are in the amended budget, it won’t be a deal breaker, and if not, he won’t amend it.

Masterpole said: ‘If you can justify (the raise) with comparables, I believe that qualified people need to be paid a fair wage.’

hawentz@syr.edu 

Published on October 4, 2011 at 12:00 pm