Houston commissioners get mandated raise

The Houston County Commission gave some of its members and the magistrate judge a raise Tuesday.

Commission Chairman Tommy Stalnaker said the raises were required by the state, which sets minimum salaries for elected officials based on years of service. That’s why only some officials got the adjustment.

Those getting a raise were Commissioners Gail Robinson, Larry Thomson and Tom McMichael, from $14,688 annually to $15,038; and Magistrate Judge Bob Turner, from $94,650 to $98,506. Part-time magistrate judges will also get a raise from $7,536 to $7,840 based on the population of the county.

Also at the meeting, the board named Robinson as vice chairman for the coming year. The primary duty of the vice chairman is to preside over a commission meeting if the chairman is absent. However, Stalnaker hasn’t missed a meeting during his six years in office.

Stalnaker said after the meeting that sometimes when he is invited to certain events and he can’t make it, he first asks the vice chairman to represent the county.

This story was originally published December 22, 2016 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Houston commissioners get mandated raise."