Angie Murphy, director of 911 emergency services, received a raise of nearly $10,000 to $50,000 on Oct. 1, Allen County Counselor Alan Weber told the Register.
Murphy requested the raise, contending she was underpaid compared to other department heads, Weber said.
A survey of department heads with comparable responsibilities shows none is paid less than $50,000.
Also, the raise will come just three months before county commissioners would have had to raise Murphy’s salary to $50,444 a year, Weber noted. On Jan. 1, U.S. Department of Labor regulations will require exempted employees — those with supervisory responsibilities and not eligible for overtime — to be paid at the new level, he said.
The current standard of $24,000 for exempted employees had been abused to the point that the federal agency made the change, Weber explained.
While the raise is official and occurred seemingly without notice during a public session, the process won’t be completed until legal paperwork is approved and commissioners sign off on it during an open session. That’s a result of Murphy having been represented by an attorney in making her request for a raise. The county has had legal representation through its insurance carrier, EMC.
The decision to give the raise effective Oct. 1 slipped notice because of the way commissioners handle raises, Weber said. Instead of a public vote, at most meetings commissioners are given what he called “the red folder,” which contains information and pay requests. As the folder passes from one to another, commissioners decide whether to give a raise by signing the document.
Commissioners Jim Talkington and Tom Williams signed on to Murphy’s raise, but Commissioner Jerry Daniels didn’t, saying he didn’t think a raise of such magnitude was the “right thing to do.”
To be precise, Murphy’s salary increased from $40,207.36. In addition to comparison of salaries, it should be noted that she has taken on additional responsibilities in recent weeks, being named to oversee Emergency Management Services by her husband, Sheriff Bryan Murphy, who had done so previously.
In July, Mitch Garner replaced Bill King as director of Public Works. King was paid $66,393.43. Garner, former airport manager, had his salary raised from $39,054.91 to $52,000.
Most county employees, elected and not, received raises early in the year of about 4 percent, a standard practice.
County 911 director gets $10,000 raise
