St. Joseph County council decides on increasing salaries to $100,000

St. Joseph County will decide whether to raise the salaries of three individuals- Assessor Michael Castellon, whose 2022 salary is $65,000, Auditor John Murphy and Clerk Amy Rolfes, both making $70,000 per year.  

If their desired salary of $100,000 is approved, Castellon’s will have an increase of $35,000 with Murphy and Rolfes increasing $30,000.  

Castellon cites his reasons as a “disparity in my compensation” as he compares his salary to the average, $109,000, for his position in Indiana. He desires a salary to reflect the size of the county, St. Joseph is the fifth largest county in Indiana, as well as his service and work provided.  

The initial council discussion took place on June 27 with council members recounting their thoughts on the impeccable work of Castellon, Murphy and Rolfes.   

Amy Drake stated, “I think that we like paying people based on performance and all three of these people are very impressive. I’d like to see them brought up to a more decent level of what they deserve.”  

The final decision will be made at 6 p.m. on July 11.