Dodge County Commissioners give themselves a 5% raise

To the Editor:

I read with great interest the minutes of the last Dodge County Board of Commissioners meeting (dated November 22, 2022 — 5:00 PM) and their discussion of giving themselves a raise.

Commissioners do not get cost of living increases (there’s a reason for that).

Commissioner Peterson suggested a 10% pay increase — stating “their job as Commissioners is not an easy job, they attend a lot of meetings as representatives of the county, they do a lot of research and try to educate themselves on topics being presented to the County Board so they can make informed decisions and they are responsible for determining the budget for Dodge County.” (Dodge County Board meeting minutes 11/22/22)

“Commissioner Toquam noted some of the Commissioners don’t take a lot of per diems they are eligible for. Ms. Toquam also noted she wasn’t sure what other counties are doing in relation to this.” (Dodge County Board meeting minutes11/22/22)

Did anyone force these individuals to become Commissioners? Didn’t they voluntarily put their names on the ballot? I thought their only concern was the betterment of Dodge County and its citizens? Shouldn’t compensation be the least of their concerns?

If your job is difficult and doesn’t pay you enough, resign. Go find a better job. I recommend any Commissioner that feels over-burdened do the same. Dodge County doesn’t need career Commissioners.

Jay Highum

Rochester Resident

Landowner
in Dodge County