Hamilton County commissioners wrangled for more than 40 minutes and took three votes Wednesday to pass a collective $70,000 raise for four judicial commissioners, then turned around and passed a $200 million bond issue unanimously with no questions.
The bond issue includes $110 million for school projects, $20 million for a jail expansion and $55 million to pay off a county line of credit, among other items.
The judicial commissioners, or magistrates, work at night and on weekends in the county jail setting bonds and issuing warrants during hours when General Sessions courts aren’t in session.
For that, they’re paid $65,000 a year, with a $5,000 bonus for the chief magistrate. In the past, they’ve been allowed to practice civil law on the side to boost their incomes, but the Administrative Office of the Courts set a new rule last year banning any outside practice.
So Commissioner Tim Boyd, chairman of the commission’s Security and Corrections Committee, proposed magistrate pay be raised to $80,000 immediately, with $4,000 raises in each subsequent year until the pay reaches $92,000. The chief magistrate would get a 10 percent bonus. The magistrates also may participate in the county’s health insurance and other benefit programs.