LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker is proposing a cap on the salaries of local elected officials after a county board’s members gave themselves several pay raises.
Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha introduced a bill Thursday that would prevent city councils, county boards and other local governments from paying their members more than twice the annual salary of a state senator. Senators currently make $12,000 a year.
The measure follows the Douglas County Board’s vote last month to give its members a 4 percent annual pay raise over four years. Board members’ annual salaries will increase to $51,879 in 2019, followed by a 4 percent increase each year until the salaries reach $58,356 in 2022.
County board members previously gave themselves raises for 2017 and 2018 that amounted to a 34 percent increase.