Hennepin County Board advances motion to give themselves a 49% raise

Hennepin Co. commissioners pay raise vote [RAW]

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners advanced a motion to raise their salaries during a meeting on Tuesday.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners advanced a motion to raise their salaries during a meeting earlier this week.

What we know

Board Chair Irene Fernando proposed the move during the administration, operations and budget committee meeting on Tuesday.

Current annual salaries are $122,225 per year. The proposal from Board Chair Irene Fernando would increase that to $182,141 in 2025, which is a 49% raise.

The board also voted to raise salaries for the Hennepin County sheriff and attorney to $218,272, a substantial increase from $189,775 for the sheriff and $195,065 for the county attorney.

Hennepin County commissioners voted unanimously to approve the pay raises for the sheriff and county attorney, while the motion to increase pay for themselves passed with a final vote of 4 to 2.

All would then see routine 3% pay increases in 2026.

What they're saying

Commissioner Irene Fernando, who serves as chair of the board, said "I believe in a county where generational wealth or additional income is not a pre-requisite to serving as a Hennepin elected official."

Commissioner Fernando continued by saying she and Commissioner Conley were sworn in as the first people of color to serve on the board in 2019 and that she wants to extend opportunities to future community leaders.

"This is not a comfortable board action," Commissioner Fernando. "However, I’ve stood in front of many rooms promising that while I am the first, I will work very hard to ensure I am not the last."

Commissioner Debbie Goettel, who serves as the chair of the administration, operations and budget committee, said "The county itself has a great body of work of what they have done to make sure there is just compensation, not only for this county board, not only for those elected, but for every person who works within Hennepin County. That matters. We have a diverse work group, and we try to pay them what they deserve so that they have a living wage and so that they can go home and pay the bills that they have. And it's long overdue that we look at our own selves."

Commissioner Kevin Anderson voted against the measure, saying "I think a modest increase in the cost of living is completely appropriate, but I can't vote in good conscience for the level of increase for the commissioner's salary."

Commissioner Heather Edelson, who was just recently elected and serves as the vice chair of the administration, operations and budget committee, also voted against the measure, saying "It's hard to look at a 50% increase," adding that "Also, I know we're going to be doing negotiations with labor, and I don't know anybody that gets a 50% increase."