Governor Signals Pay Raises are Coming for Dept. Heads

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The one-day window for Gov. Mark Dayton to raise the pay of state agency commissioners arrives on Wednesday.

Dayton signaled Monday he will raise salaries as a tool to attract and retain top-notch managers. But he doesn't plan to approve the maximum pay in most cases.

As part of a compromise to roll back earlier cabinet raises, the Legislature allowed Dayton to unilaterally set commissioner pay on July 1. But lawmakers subjected future commissioner salary decisions to legislative approval.

In a letter Monday, Republican Rep. Sarah Anderson urged Dayton to reconsider the raises she argues are out of line with take-home pay for most families.

The earlier double-digit raises would have brought some salaries above $150,000. Most commissioners earn less than $120,000.

Dayton says the higher pay levels are in line with rising local government salaries and executive branch pay in other states.