Allies of Minnehaha County auditor rally for pay raise

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The Minnehaha County Commission ended 2023 with an hour-long hearing Tuesday on whether County Auditor Leah Anderson deserved a pay raise.

After more than a dozen people testified in favor of giving Anderson more money, the commission voted to give her and the county’s other elected officials — minus themselves — 7.5 percent raises for next year.

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But that didn’t come until after Anderson’s supporters rallied on her behalf, two former county commissioners testified on behalf of the current commission and the commission’s chairwoman, Jean Bender, reining in her counterpart, Commissioner Joe Kippley, who confronted Anderson’s supporters.

Ultimately, it was Kippley who provoked Tuesday’s showdown. Last week, he proposed two different resolutions: One that gave all elected department heads 7.5 percent raises and one that gave raises to all except Anderson.

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