BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
Bradford County constitutional officers each got a pay raise on Oct. 1.
The salaries for 2022-23 are as follows:
BRADFORD
Sheriff — $154,261
Clerk, Property Appraiser, Tax Collector and Supervisor of Elections — $118,412
County Commissioners — $37,095
School Board — $31,314
Superintendent — $118,412
These increases were all between 6.2% and 6.8%, with the highest percentage going to the sheriff, who alone received a 19.5% increase in pay last year.
Salaries are set by a formula in state statute that takes population into consideration, except in some counties with home rule charters where pay can be decided locally.
Increases in Union County were between 7.1% and 7.5%.
UNION
Sheriff — $149,428
Clerk, Property Appraiser, Tax Collector and Supervisor of Elections — $113,578
County Commissioners — $32,491
School Board — $30,062
Superintendent — $113,578
And here are the numbers calculated for Clay County:
CLAY
Sheriff — $189,915
Clerk, Property Appraiser, Tax Collector and Supervisor of Elections — $154,065
County Commissioners — $37,000
School Board — $42,526
Superintendent — $154,065
The state calculates the salaries for Clay County commissioners to be nearly $85,000 a year. The Clay County Charter sets it at $37,000.
(Clay County Schools did not respond to a request to clarify the superintendent’s salary and include any supplements approved by the school board.)
Median income and population
Comparisons show these public officials take home quite a bit more money than the average resident.
Bradford has 28,540 residents, which is inflated by the prison population, but not as much with the closure of some institutions. The prison impact on total population is greater in Union County, which has more open institutions and a higher inmate capacity.
Median household income is $43,580 in Bradford and supports an average household size of 2.54 residents. The median income for the average household in Bradford is around 37% of what most constitutional officers earn.
Keep in mind that the salaries for commissioners and school board members are often supplementary income. Many have careers or are retired.
A large percentage of Bradford County does not enjoy even a median income lifestyle. More than 17% of Bradford residents live in poverty. Only around 10% have a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education. Many evidently work out of the county, with the average commute time being 31 minutes.
Union County’s total population (including the incarcerated) 16,335. At just over 4,000, Union has less than half of Bradford’s 9,300 households. The average household size is smaller, too —2.36 residents. Even though around 21% of those residents live in poverty, the median household income is quite a bit higher than Bradford — $55,139. Like Bradford, college level education is around 10%.
Clay’s population has grown to 222,361 residents. While Bradford was still around 28,500 in 2010, Clay grew 16.5% since that time. There are 75,360 households with a larger household size of 2.84 residents. More than twice as many — 26.2% — have a college education. Perhaps as a result, poverty level — just under 9% — is much lower than Bradford and Union counties. The median household income in Clay is $68,657.
But what Clay has in common with Bradford and Union is that its highest paid elected officials earn more than twice the median household income.
