County surveyor asks to raise elected official pay; commissioners express concern about long‑term budget impacts

The Gibson County surveyor asked commissioners to raise the elected‑official salary for the county surveyor so it matches the base pay of other courthouse elected officials, citing the additional licensing and technical requirements of the office and market comparisons to peer counties.

Two options presented: the surveyor offered two methods. Option 1 would raise the elected‑official base salary to match other elected officials and allocate part of the registration/registration‑related budget from the Section Corner Perpetuation (12‑02) fund to offset costs. Option 2 would put the full increase into the surveyor’s O06 budget line, affecting the general fund.

Commissioner concerns: commissioners said they supported fair pay but expressed concern about the long‑term precedent and potential “budget ballooning” if future unlicensed incumbents or successors end up earning equal or greater pay without equivalent qualifications. They also noted state statute provides different pay rules for licensed and unlicensed surveyors and questioned whether raising the base might cause future personnel‑cost pressure across other offices.

Why it matters: the surveyor’s office performs specialized, licensed professional work (surveying, section‑corner perpetuation) and officials said attracting and retaining licensed surveyors is difficult; the county currently has fewer licensed surveyors than peer counties.

Next steps: commissioners requested options and impact analysis. No final salary change was approved; the request will be considered along with budget timing and analysis of the perpetuation fund usage.

Ending: the surveyor asked commissioners to consider the technical qualification requirement and potential public‑service risk if the office were filled by an unlicensed candidate who would command a different pay scale.