The Bay County Commissioners are finding that they can’t cut their salaries. The News Herald reports that the Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to take a 10 percent pay cut starting this October.
Sounds great, right? Escambia County Commissioner Grover Robinson tried a similar move last year. Unfortunately, County Commissioner’s salaries, like those of other constitutional officers (Sheriff, Clerk of Courts, Supervisor of Elections, etc.) are determined by population-weighted formulas set in Chapter 145 of Florida statute.
A legal opinion written by Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum in May 2008 affirms that county officers can not control their salaries. Read more.