DATE: November 4, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Hollis Magill, Director of Human Resources
SUBJECT: Resolution Setting Elected Department Head Salaries
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve amendment to Salary Resolution Section 532 - Occupational Expense Remuneration, as reflected on Appendix D, effective November 10, 2025;
2. Approve the Resolution setting the salaries for the Assessor-Recorder, Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector, and County Clerk, effective for the term of office commencing on January 4, 2027, and ending on January 5, 2031, and adjusting the salaries for the District Attorney and Sheriff for the extension of their term beginning January 4, 2027, and ending on December 31, 2028;
3. Approve amendment to Salary Resolution Section 100 - Footnotes, as reflected on Appendix D, effective January 4, 2027; and
4. Approve amendment to the Salary Resolution, converting the Public Defender flat salary to the 6-step salary range system and placing the classification within the range as reflected on Appendix D, effective January 4, 2027.
REPORT
The total estimated cost of the recommended actions for FY 2025-26 is approximately $14,163; $12,206 of which is NCC. Approval of the first recommended action modifies Section 532.13 to align the automobile allowance provided to elected officials with the amount provided to other department heads. Approval of the second recommended action will set the salaries for the Assessor-Recorder, Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector, and County Clerk for the next term of office, and adjust the salaries of the District Attorney and Sheriff for the extension of their terms in accordance with Assembly Bill 759. The recommended action includes increasing salaries on January 4, 2027 and provides provisions for further salary increases, as well as other compensation and benefits, for the subsequent years of the elected county department head terms. The resolution is consistent with Board direction and the Fresno County Charter (Charter), Section 12(b). The third recommended action modifies the Salary Resolution Section 100 - Footnotes by adding a P.O.S.T. incentive and uniform allowance for the Sheriff. The fourth recommended action converts the salary of the Public Defender to the 6-step salary range system and places the current Public Defender at step 5 within the range.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board were not to approve the recommended actions, the salaries set at the end of the current elected department head resolution would remain in effect through January 5, 2031 for the Assessor-Recorder, Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector, and County Clerk; and through December 31, 2028, for the District Attorney and Sheriff, consistent with the Charter, and the Salary Resolution will remain unchanged. As a result, elected salaries would fall behind the local market and be inequitable compared to other Fresno County department heads.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total estimated cost of the first recommended action for the FY 2025-26 is approximately $14,163 ($12,206 NCC) beginning November 10, 2025. The remaining recommended actions will have no impact on the FY 2025-26 departmental budgets, as these actions will not take effect until January 4, 2027. The total cost of the second, third, and fourth recommended actions is $561,978 ($429,901 NCC). The cost of the recommended action in FY 2026-27 is estimated at $272,521 ($208,473 NCC), beginning January 4, 2027. Sufficient appropriations to cover the cost will be included in budget requests beginning FY 2026-27.
DISCUSSION:
The first recommended action amends Salary Resolution Section 532.13 to increase the elected officials’ automobile allowance from $513 to $650 per month, aligning it with the allowance provided to other department heads.
Approval of the second recommended action would set the salaries of the Elected County Department Heads for the next elected term beginning January 4, 2027. Consistent with Charter, Section 12(b), every four years prior to the primary election, the salaries of all elected county department heads are “fixed” by the Board of Supervisors. The Charter prohibits adjusting the salaries (increasing or decreasing) after the election or during the four-year term of office for each elected county officer. The only salary adjustment allowed during the four-year term must be set in advance.
On September 29, 2022, Assembly Bill 759 amended the Elections Code to require that elections for county District Attorneys and Sheriffs be held during the presidential primary. This change extended the terms of officials elected to those offices in 2022 beyond the standard four-year term to align their elections with the presidential election cycle. As a result, the Fresno County District Attorney and Sheriff will not be included in the 2026 election; however, salary adjustments are necessary to maintain market equity because their salaries were projected only through a four-year term in the last resolution. Although these offices are included in the recommended resolution to adjust salaries and incentives through the extended term, a new resolution will be prepared to take effect for these classifications at the start of their next term commencing on January 1, 2029.
On April 5, 2022, your Board approved Resolution No. 22-122, which set salaries for the elected county department heads for the term of office that began January 2, 2023, and ends January 3, 2027. The resolution fixed salaries effective January 2, 2023, at 7-10% above the amounts established in the previous resolution and included additional fixed-percentage equity increases for the District Attorney and Sheriff. It also provided for annual salary adjustments on January 1 of 2024, 2025, and 2026 based on increases, if any, of the California Weighted Consumer Price Index (Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers), up to a maximum of 3% per year during the four-year term of office for each elected county department head.
Approval of the Resolution in the second recommended action would set the salaries at the new rates shown below, effective January 4, 2027, and January 3, 2028.
|
Elected County Officer |
Eff. 1/4/2027 |
Incr. |
Eff. 1/3/2028 |
Incr. |
|
Assessor-Recorder |
$226,226 |
23% |
- |
- |
|
Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector |
$234,390 |
18% |
- |
- |
|
County Clerk |
$202,254 |
23% |
$222,482 |
10% |
|
District Attorney |
$344,188 |
38.5% |
$361,400 |
5% |
|
Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator |
$311,454 |
27.5% |
$325,468 |
4.5% |
The proposed salary adjustments align elected county department head compensation with similarly situated department head positions within Fresno County. To maintain this parity with other department heads, increases during the elected county department head terms, as outlined within the Resolution, will be applied at the same percentage with any Cost-of-Living Adjustments granted to appointed department heads (HDS Unit).
The third recommended action amends Salary Resolution Section 100 - Footnotes to establish for the Sheriff a 10% Management or Executive P.O.S.T. incentive and a uniform allowance equivalent to that received by the Undersheriff to align with the Sheriff’s subordinate classification.
On October 10, 2023, your board approved placing the Public Defender classification on a flat salary to maintain parity with the District Attorney classification during the last elected department head term, rather than converting the classification to the step system with other appointed department heads. The fourth recommended action converts the Public Defender classification from a flat salary to the 6-step salary range as indicated in Appendix D and places the current Public Defender salary at $270,010 (step 5), effective January 4, 2027.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #12, October 10, 2023
BAI # 10, April 5, 2022
Board of Supervisors’ Administrative Policy No. 58
Fresno County Charter, section 12(b)
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Resolution - Elected Department Heads
Appendix “D”
CAO ANALYST:
Sevag Tateosian