Local officials covered by this chapter are entitled to the same uniform compensation increases as county employees, with several timing and exclusion rules.
(a)(1) The local officials covered by this chapter shall be entitled to receive the same uniform increases in compensation, whether the uniform increases are based on a percentage of compensation or a flat dollar amount, which are granted equally to all full-time county employees by the county commission. The increases shall be in the same amount or percentage, as the case may be, as that amount or percentage increase provided to the county’s employees and shall apply to the official’s base salary and to any expense allowance the official receives pursuant to this subdivision. (2) If the implementation of this chapter increases the compensation of an incumbent office holder, the increase shall be paid as provided in Section 11-2A-2. (3) The base compensation of any local official initially elected or appointed after July 1, 2025, shall be the compensation of the immediately prior officeholder including any uniform increases received by the prior officeholder, but excluding any compensation based on the previous office holder’s longevity or that was awarded based on merit, including, but not limited to, a local merit system. Any official shall continue to be entitled to receive uniform increases in compensation as provided in subdivision (1). (4) If a county commission grants a uniform increase to all county employees other than those employees serving their probationary period, the increase shall qualify as a uniform increase to all county employees for the purposes of this subsection. (5) A merit-based increase shall not qualify as a uniform increase unless all county employees receive the same percentage or dollar increase. (6) In a county with a classification system for employees which includes annual step raises for each classification of employee, the step raises shall be considered a uniform increase for the purposes of this section if the steps are based on a uniform dollar amount or percentage, and the service credits for elected officials are calculated and administered in the same manner as other employees. (b) Any provision of this chapter to the contrary notwithstanding, the Legislature, by local law, may increase the compensation for local officials covered under this chapter. (c)(1) Any local official whose compensation is tied to compensation of a state official shall not be entitled to receive any uniform increases in compensation under this chapter. (2) Any provision of local law enacted prior to the 2026 Regular Session which contradicts subdivision (1) shall be invalid once the individual serving in that office on May 31, 2026, vacates that office. (3) Following the 2025 Regular Session, no local law may authorize a local official to receive uniform increases in contradiction to subdivision (1). (4) Beginning with the next term of office following October 1, 2025, the compensation of any local official subject to a local law that sets his or her compensation in whole or in part on the salary of a circuit or district judge shall be calculated using the base amounts in Section 12-10B-1, and any adjustment based on service or longevity must be based on the actual time in office of the local official.