Neunder stresses taxpayers’ burdens and concern for lower-level county workers
As the Sarasota County commissioners this week stressed their need to reduce the county’s budgets over the coming fiscal years, Chair Joe Neunder brought up an issue that he indicated has proven controversial among his constituents: the salaries of the directors of the county’s departments and the raises those directors have been receiving on an annual basis.
Noting that he had requested a list of the salaries, Neunder pointed out during the commission’s Aug. 19 budget workshop, “Last year was a great year for department directors.” Their raises, he said, ranged from $8,000 to $16,000.
“That’s very generous, Jonathan,” he told County Administrator Jonathan Lewis. “And, presumably, they’ve earned that money.”
Nonetheless, Neunder added, “When you talk fully loaded salaries — compensation, retirement, etc. — you’re looking at anywhere from $230,000 to a quarter of a million dollars. His constituents, Neunder continued, “tell me it’s troubling.”
During his remarks, Neunder pointed out that the county has 2,000 employees, 1,600 of whom are members of unions. Thus, he said, the County Commission has control over of the pay of just 600 of Sarasota County Government workers.
During an exchange with Neunder, County Administrator Lewis said he has budgeted a 4% increase in the county’s payroll for the 2026 fiscal year. However, he explained, only merit raises are given to employees who are not members of bargaining units.
Neunder noted that he and Lewis at an earlier time had discussed the salaries, with Lewis having told him, “That’s industry standard.” However, Neunder also talked about the need to pursue tighter budgets.
“I’m not saying people don’t deserve, you know, a very good … salary here,” Neunder continued. Still, he indicated that the climb in those salaries is another factor driving the county’s budgets higher than they should be. “I just want to be very aware of that situation as we move forward,” he added.
Then Neunder put the salaries in the context of the financial burden of the county taxpayers. For an example, he talked of Florida Power & Light Co.’s proposed customer rate increase of nearly $9 billion, which represents the largest such request in U.S. history, as consumer advocates have stressed. “Those are just things you read in the paper that affect our taxpayers’ checkbook and checking account.”
Neunder then told Lewis, “I think we have to take a very holistic approach to all things government and be very respectful that we are representing our constituents, on this board.”
Neunder added, “I’d like to see, moving forward, that we’re very respectful also of the employees that are, you know, on the lower end of our pay scale, to make sure that they’re getting the adequate increases for the cost of living,” so they can afford their groceries and their mortgages. That is “extremely important to me,” Neunder stressed.
Again, he referred to “the conversations that I’m having” with constituents, in regard to department directors who are making $230,000 or $250,000 a year, who also have paid vacations and personal time off, as Neunder noted. “Those are the conversations that we need to have.”
Many people working in the private sector, he indicated, are not so well compensated, such as Publix and Costco employees.
“We have a great board here,” Neunder said, adding that he believes the commissioners are focused on planning appropriately for the future.