Olmsted Board OKs Budget, Lower Salary For New Sheriff

The Olmsted County Board approved its 2015 budget and property tax levy Tuesday.

The adopted levy of $85.6 million is about $2 ½ million or 3 percent higher than this year’s figure.

The commissioners also approved an increase in their salaries. The 2015 salary for each commissioner will be $38,465, or $1300 higher than the current figure. They also maintained their expense allowance at $400 per month.

The Board raised the annual salary of County Attorney Mark Ostrem to $154,835 for next year. That’s an increase of just over $5,000 from this year’s salary.

And the board set the 2015 salary for incoming Sheriff Kevin Torgerson at $125,139. That’s nearly $20,000 less than what outgoing Sheriff Dave Mueller was paid this year.

Torgerson made the sheriff’s salary an issue during his campaign, noting it had risen by about $23,000 during the four years Mueller held the office. Torgerson’s salary is around $4,000 more than what former Sheriff Steve Von Wald was paid in his final year in 2010.