MORGAN COUNTY, KY (LEX 18) — Morgan County's fiscal court held a special meeting on April 30 to meet a state-mandated deadline to set 2027 compensation rates for elected officials ahead of upcoming primary elections.
The motion passed 3-2, approving pay increases for the county jailer, coroner, county attorney, and magistrates.
Tommy Fannin, a District 3 magistrate in his first term, said "It's state law requires we set the salary for the next administration," Fannin said.
According to Fannin, it is the first raise in more than 40 years for Morgan County magistrates, bringing their annual salary to $18,000. Fannin said the county can afford the increases and they will not cause taxes to go up.
"I do not believe in raising taxes or starting new taxes. There is other ways about it," Fannin said.
County Attorney Myles Holbrook, now in his third term, said he supports fair compensation for elected officials.
"I'm in no way against elected officials earning what their value is," Holbrook said.
However, Holbrook said he was told a raise was not in the budget, and when the special meeting was called, he felt the public was left in the dark.
"If they truly believe that there was enough money to give themselves a raise, they should had the courage to tell the tax payers of Morgan County that," Holbrook said.
Holbrook said residents are raising concerns about needs across the county and want to know if the money for the raises could be better spent elsewhere.
"There is a lot of complaints about roads, fire departments, and different districts in the county that need a lot of work that needs to be done," Holbrook said.
Among those concerns is the Wrigley 519 Fire Department, which sits in Fannin's district and is facing a possible closure without additional funding. Fannin said he opposes a proposed fire tax and wants to find another solution.
Holbrook said the math is straightforward.
"I don't see how that work is going to be done unless we reduce spending somewhere else or we raise taxes," Holbrook said.
The raises will take place at the start of next Fiscal Court year.
