Isle of Wight County supervisors voted 3-2 on April 20 to increase their own pay, effective in 2024.
Supervisor Dick Grice had proposed in February to increase supervisor salaries 8.9% to $12,800. Supervisors William McCarty, Don Rosie and Grice each supported the raise, while supervisors Joel Acree and Rudolph Jefferson voted against it.
A 1998 state law set a maximum $7,000 salary for supervisors of counties with $25,000 to 49,999 residents, but allowed raises of up to 5% annually for inflation.
Isle of Wight, which had an estimated population of just over 40,000 according to 2022 census data, adopted an ordinance in 2008 raising the minimum salary 5% to $11,402.26.
County Attorney Bobby Jones, in February, said the salary was again raised at some point during the past 15 years by roughly 3% to the current $11,744. A separate state law last revised in 2022 allows for supervisor raises in excess of 5% if the supervisors hold a public hearing and vote prior to July 1, with the raises then taking effect Jan. 1 following a year when at least two board of supervisors seats, or 40% of its membership, are up for election.
Three of Isle of Wight’s five seats are up for election this year, making the raises effective Jan. 1, 2024.
A provision of the 2008 ordinance the supervisors voted to retain allows the board’s chairman and vice chairman to receive an additional $1,800 and $1,200, respectively. As such, the chair will receive $14,600 and the vice chairman, $14,000, starting...
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