ACCG Still Needs Assistance in Completing Salary Surveys

 

This summer, ACCG requested from counties salary data for county constitutional officers and other county elected officials.  This data is needed by ACCG to respond to repeated lobbying efforts by these county officials to increase their salaries through legislation at the Georgia General Assembly. It is difficult for our policy team to accurately represent the impact these increases will have on county government budgets without hard data requested. Often these county officers only refer to the base salary provided in state statute as their main argument to receive an increase. However, this approach does not take into account how COLAs, longevity increases, state and county supplements, or salaries calculated through local legislation, have significantly increased the total salaries for these positions above their base minimums. Unfortunately, the only way to collect this level of salary data is directly from counties. As such, we need and would sincerely appreciate your assistance.

 

To better assess and address the impact of increasing these salaries, ACCG is seeking detailed information (base, COLA, supplements, longevity, etc.) on how each county calculates salaries for these officials and, more importantly, the actual annual salaries paid to each of these officers. Most likely your HR Director, finance director, clerk, or payroll clerk, will be the best person to respond to this request. Please forward this email to the appropriate person in your county who can accurately provide this information.  

 

ACCG is requesting the following:

All responses and questions about this salary request should be directed to Liz Greene at egreene@accg.org by Monday, September 19, 2022.

 

 

The Judicial Council of Georgia has asked ACCG to survey our members regarding county salary supplements and benefits provided for or tied to superior court judges, circuit public defenders, district attorneys, and  juvenile court judges. The Judicial Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Judicial Salaries and Supplements will use this information in its work “to develop, evaluate, and recommend options for revising or eliminating the system of county-paid supplements."  This could lead to substantial savings for your county.

 

This online survey is different from the ACCG Salary Survey noted above.  This survey focuses on salary supplements and benefits for the following four positions:  superior court judges, circuit public defenders, district attorneys, and juvenile court judges. It also requests information on any county elected or appointed position whose salary or benefits is tied to one of these positions via local legislation, i.e., a local Act of the General Assembly. Additionally, there are questions about assistant district attorneys and public defenders as well as chief and senior judges. The link to take the online survey is provided below.

 

Unlike most of our surveys, your county will most likely need to reach out to your court administrator, fiscal agent for your judicial circuit, district attorney, and/or circuit public defender to complete this survey. The Prosecuting Attorneys Council as well as the Georgia Public Defenders Council has been made aware of this survey and have instructed their members to provide requested survey information to your county upon request.

 

ACCG has been asked to present this information on September 22, 2022 at the next Judicial Council meeting. Please submit your county’s information by September 15, 2022 to allow ACCG proper time to review and compile this information. If you have any questions about the survey or information requested, please contact Michele NeSmith at mnesmith@accg.org or at 404-992-8737.