KRS 64.5275: Legislative finding relating to certain county officers -- Maximum salary

schedule -- Annual incentive for completed training units.

(1) The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky hereby finds and

determines that county judges/executive, cou nty clerks, jailers who operate a full

service jail, and sheriffs in all counties are officers whose duties or jurisdictions are

coextensive with that of the Commonwealth within the meaning of Section 246 of

the Constitution of Kentucky.

(2) Effective on t he first Monday in January of 1999, the maximum salary of county

judges/executive, county clerks, jailers who operate a full service jail, and sheriffs

shall be fixed by the Department for Local Government according to a salary

schedule in accordance with Section 246 of the Kentucky Constitution. The salary

schedule provides that these officials, as officers whose jurisdiction or duties are

coextensive with the Commonwealth, shall be paid at a rate no greater than twelve

thousand dollars ($12,000) per annum as adjusted for any increase or decrease in the

consumer price index and as described in subsection (4) of this section.

(3) The salary schedule for county judges/executive, county clerks, jailers who operate

a full service jail, and sheriffs in all count ies provides for nine (9) levels of salary

based upon the population of the county in the year prior to the election of county

officials as determined by the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of

the Census's annual estimates. To implement the sa lary schedule, the Department

for Local Government shall, by November 1 of each year preceding the election of

county officials, certify for each county the population group applicable to each

county based on the most recent estimates of the United States Department of

Commerce, Bureau of the Census. For the purposes of this section, the salary

schedule for county judges/executive, county clerks, jailers who operate a full

service jail, and sheriffs shall remain as determined by the Department for Local

Government pursuant to this section, regardless of changes in the population

estimates or the actual census count that may occur during the term for which the

official has been elected or appointed. The salary schedule provides four (4) steps

for yearly increments within each population group. County officers named in this

section shall be paid according to the first step within their population group for the

first year or portion thereof they serve in office. Thereafter, each officer, on January

1 of each sub sequent year, shall be advanced automatically to the next step in the

salary schedule until the maximum salary figure for the population group is reached.

Prior to assuming office on the first Monday in January, 1999, or thereafter, any

person assuming any of the offices for which the salary is determined by this section

must certify to the commissioner of the Department for Local Government the total

number of years, not to exceed four (4) years, that the person has previously served

in the office. The Dep artment for Local Government shall place the officer in the

proper step based upon a formula of one (1) incremental step per full calendar year

of service:

SALARY SCHEDULE

County Population by Group Steps and Salary for Affected Officers

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

Group I

0-4,999 $6,600 $6,800 $7,000 $7,200

Group II

5,000-9,999 7,200 7,400 7,600 7,800

Group III

10,000-19,999 7,800 8,000 8,200 8,400

Group IV

20,000-29,999 8,100 8,400 8,700 9,000

Group V

30,000-44,999 8,700 9,000 9,300 9,600

Group VI

45,000-59,999 9,000 9,400 9,800 10,200

Group VII

60,000-89,999 9,600 10,000 10,400 10,800

Group VIII

90,000-499,999 9,900 10,400 10,900 11,400

Group IX

500,000 and up 10,500 11,000 11,500 12,000

(4) Upon publication of the annual consumer pri ce index by the United States

Department of Commerce, the Department for Local Government shall fix the

salary of the county judge/executive, county clerk, jailer who operates a full service

jail, and sheriff at an annual rate of salary to which the county official is entitled

pursuant to the increase in the Consumer Price Index and the salary schedule

contained in this section. This salary determination shall be retroactive to the

preceding January 1.

(5) Notwithstanding any provision contained in this sec tion, no county official holding

office on July 15, 1998, shall receive any reduction in salary or reduction in

adjustment to salary otherwise allowable by the statutes in force on July 15, 1998.

(6) In addition to the step increases based on service in office, each officer shall be paid

an annual incentive of one hundred dollars ($100) per calendar year for each forty

(40) hour training unit successfully completed, based on continuing service in that

office and, except as provided in this subsection, compl etion of at least forty (40)

hours of approved training in each subsequent calendar year. If an officer fails,

without good cause as determined by the commissioner of the Department for Local

Government, to obtain the minimum amount of approved training in any year, the

officer shall lose all training incentives previously accumulated. Each training unit

shall be approved and certified by the Department for Local Government. No officer

shall receive more than one (1) training unit per calendar year nor more than four

(4) incentive payments per calendar year. Each officer shall be allowed to carry

forward up to forty (40) hours of training credit into the following calendar year for

the purpose of satisfying the minimum amount of training for that year. Each annual

incentive payment shall be adjusted by the Department for Local Government on an

annual basis for any increase or decrease in the consumer price index in the same

manner as salaries are adjusted as described in subsection (4) of this section. The

Department for Local Government shall promulgate administrative regulations in

accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to establish guidelines for the approval and

certification of training units.

(7) Except in counties that contain an urban -county form of government, justices of the

peace who serve on fiscal courts, county commissioners, and jailers who operate

life safety jails, jailers who are part of a transportation plan, or jailers who act as

court bailiffs shall also be eligible for the training incentive paym ents in accordance

with subsection (6) of this section.

(8) The provisions of this section shall not apply to a county judge/executive in a

county which has established a consolidated local government pursuant to KRS

Chapter 67C.