BY SENATORS Wham, Dennis, Johnson, and Weddig;

also REPRESENTATIVES Schwarz, Alexander, Dyer, Bacon, and Mace.

CONCERNING THE COMPENSATION OF ELECTED COUNTY OFFICERS, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, REESTABLISHING THE ANNUAL SALARIES OF COUNTY OFFICERS, CHANGING THE CATEGORY CLASSIFICATION OF CERTAIN COUNTIES, AND REPEALING THE PROVISION THAT SPECIFIES HOW COMPENSATION IS APPORTIONED FOR BOARDS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HAVING FIVE MEMBERS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1.  30­2­102 (1), (2), and (2.7), Colorado Revised Statutes, 1986 Repl. Vol., as amended, are amended, and the said 30­2­102 is further amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SUBSECTION, to read:

30­2­102.  Categorization of counties for fixing salaries of county officers. (1)  For the purpose of establishing the salaries of county officers:

(a)  Category I counties shall consist of the counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, DOUGLAS, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld;

(b)  Category II counties shall consist of THE COUNTIES OF Douglas, Eagle, LA PLATA, Mesa, Pitkin, Pueblo, and Summit;

(c)  Category III counties shall consist of the counties of Delta, Fremont, Garfield, Grand, GUNNISON, La Plata, Moffat, Montrose, Morgan, Otero, Rio Blanco, San Miguel, Routt, and Logan, AND TELLER;

(d)  Category IV counties shall consist of the counties of Alamosa, Archuleta, Chaffee, Clear Creek, Elbert, GILPIN, Gunnison, Huerfano, KIT CARSON, Lake, Las Animas, Montezuma, OURAY, Park, Prowers, Rio Grande, Teller, and Yuma;

(e)  Category V counties shall consist of the counties of Baca, Bent, Cheyenne, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Custer, Dolores, Gilpin, Hinsdale, Jackson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Mineral, Ouray, Phillips, Saguache, San Juan, Sedgwick, and Washington.

(2)  ON AND AFTER JANUARY 1, 1999, the annual salaries of county officers WHOSE TERM OF OFFICE BEGINS ON OR AFTER SUCH DATE shall be as follows:

	County Commissioners	County Sheriffs	County Treasurers, Assessors, and Clerks
(a)  Category I	50,000 56,601	56,400 71,293	50,000 63,203
(b)  Category II	41,000 46,413	45,700 57,768	41,000 51,827
(c)  Category III	33,000 37,357	42,000 53,091	33,000 41,714
(d) Category IV	23,800 26,942	37,800 47,782	28,000 35,394
(e)  Category V	18,000 20,376	28,800 36,405	25,800 32,613

(2.7)  Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (2) of this section, effective July 1, 1992, if a category II county has five persons serving on its board of county commissioners, the annual salaries of county officers in such category II county shall be as follows:

(a)  County commissioners shall receive twenty­four thousand six hundred dollars;

(b)  County sheriffs shall receive forty­five thousand seven hundred dollars; and

(c)  County treasurers, assessors, and clerks shall receive forty­one thousand dollars.

(2.8)  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY HEREBY FINDS AND DECLARES THAT:

(a)  THE RATE OF COMPENSATION OF ELECTED COUNTY OFFICERS SHALL BE PROVIDED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN SECTION 15 OF ARTICLE XIV OF THE STATE CONSTITUTION;

(b)  THE SALARIES OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, COUNTY SHERIFFS, AND COUNTY TREASURERS, ASSESSORS, AND CLERK AND RECORDERS HAVE BEEN FIXED BY LAW THROUGH THE ENACTMENT OF THIS SECTION;

(c)  THE SALARIES OF ELECTED COUNTY OFFICERS HAVE NOT BEEN INCREASED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SINCE 1990.

SECTION 2.  Effective date. This act shall take effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety­day period after final adjournment of the general assembly that is allowed for submitting a referendum petition pursuant to article V, section 1 (3) of the state constitution; except that, if a referendum petition is filed against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part, if approved by the people, shall take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by proclamation of the governor.

____________________________ ____________________________

Tom Norton Charles E. Berry

PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES

____________________________ ____________________________

Joan M. Albi Judith M. Rodrigue

SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE

THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APPROVED________________________________________

_________________________________________

Roy Romer

GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF COLORADO