Commission sets sheriff, chief deputy salaries

By Anna Jauhola
The Kittson County Commissioners set the salaries of the incoming sheriff and his new chief deputy during the regular meeting on Thursday, Dec. 8.
Matt Vig, who is currently the chief deputy, was elected sheriff during the November election and will take office on Tuesday, Jan. 3 when Sheriff Mark Wilwant retires. Vig has already named Deputy Dave Thompson as his chief deputy.
During last week’s meeting, Vig negotiated his salary with the commissioners and came into it with the figure of $98,384.
“In 2023, at a step 12 as chief deputy, I’d be at $93,585. At that point, I thought longevity was a part of it, so I took a step 10 plus longevity at 5 percent. So I came up with the $98,384,” Vig said.
The commission has been holding workshops to tackle the budget recently and during one of those, they proposed a wage of $87,750, said Administrator Brian Buhmann.
“My recommendation at that time was $91,931.84. I felt it was a little more of a bump and slightly less than what Mark was making,” Buhmann said. “Mark currently makes $95,165.41.”

Read the full story in the Dec. 14, 2022, edition of the Kittson County Enterprise.