Brevard Commissioner Bryan Lober Revisits Proposal To Base Commissioner’s Salaries On Median Household Income
By Space Coast Daily // February 15, 2022
amendment to the county's charter could make way for commission salary change
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – In an e-mail on Tuesday to Brevard County Commission District 2 Charter Review Committee appointees, Commissioner Bryan Lober once again proposed a potential change to the county’s charter in regard to commissioner’s salaries.
“I believe that county commissioner salaries should be set at the same level as the county’s median household income,” said Lober in the e-mail to his appointees to the Charter Review Committee.
“When I proposed this before the Board of County Commissioners back in 2018, I was unsuccessful. At the time, one of my colleagues suggested this should take the form of a charter amendment.
“Fast forward to today. You have the ability to put forth my proposal and allow voters to decide whether they agree.
“That this would serve to reduce salaries for commissioners who already receive less than commissioners serving in other counties throughout the state strikes me as irrelevant. County commissioners are not royalty and their compensation should be tied into the wellbeing of the constituents whom they represent. To have what otherwise appears to be an arbitrarily set number strikes me as elitist and inequitable,” said Lober.
Lober said if a county commission candidate can’t live on the median household income, no one will force them to run.
“Being elected should not equate to winning a lottery ticket; candidates should have a genuine desire to serve and better their community, not merely one to line their own pockets,” said Lober.
“When I first proposed this, in 2018, it would have resulted in a reduction of $8,231 to a county commissioner’s annual salary. Over the course of 4 years, that would have amounted to $32,924.”
Lober said factoring in inflation and new census data, that number now appears to amount to a $1,370 reduction in annual salary. Over the course of 4 years, this would amount to $5,480.
“While, due to factors beyond our control, this may not prove as impactful as what I had first proposed, I still believe it to be an appropriate course of action,” said Lober.
“The fact that I am still pursuing this after more than three years from initially seeking the reduction should help illustrate that I genuinely believe this is the right thing to do. While I stood to lose tens of thousands of dollars in 2018, I still stand to lose thousands of dollars if this passes; I would be happy to do so.”
The public is invited to attend the upcoming meeting of the 2021-2022 Brevard County Charter Review Commission which will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Brevard County Government Center, Building C, 1st Floor, Commission Room in Viera.
All meetings are open to the public.
The Brevard County Home Rule Charter requires that every six years, a Charter Review Commission be appointed for the purposes of reviewing the existing Charter.
The Charter Review Commission is made up of 15 members, three appointees from each of the Brevard County Commissioners to represent their Commission Districts including District 1 – Robin Fisher, Kendall Moore and Marcia Newell; District 2 – Mike Haridopolos, Marie Rogerson and Blaise Trettis; District 3 – Matt Nye, Billy Prasad and Bob White; District 4 – Tom Jenkins, Cole Oliver, Sue Schmitt; District 5 – Jordin Chandler, Dave Neuman and Vic Luebker.
The Commission has elected Haridopolos as the Chair.
