After Public Backlash, Hennepin County Commissioners Settle Into $134,753 Salary Tier

HENNEPIN COUNTY, MN

On January 1, 2026, members of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners entered a new pay tier, with the maximum annual commissioner salary rising to $134,753, the result of a prolonged and highly scrutinized compensation debate that unfolded over much of 2024.

The increase marked the final step in a two-year, 5 percent incremental plan approved by the board in August 2024, replacing an earlier proposal that would have sharply increased commissioner pay in a single move and triggered widespread public backlash.

A raise shaped by controversy

The road to the 2026 salary level was anything but straightforward.

In July 2024, Board Chair Irene Fernando advanced an initial proposal calling for a 49 percent increase, which would have raised commissioner salaries from $122,225 to $182,141. Supporters argued the proposal would better align commissioner pay with senior county administrators and reduce barriers to public service for candidates without independent wealth.

The proposal quickly drew criticism from residents, labor advocates, and county employees, many of whom were simultaneously negotiating for far smaller wage adjustments. Within weeks, the board withdrew the plan.

On August 20, 2024, commissioners unanimously approved a scaled-back approach: a 5 percent increase effective January 1, 2025, followed by a second 5 percent increase effective January 1, 2026. The final vote established a new maximum salary rather than an automatic raise, requiring individual commissioners to formally opt in for each adjustment.

How the numbers changed

The two-step plan produced the following progression in base pay:

• 2024: $122,225
• 2025: $128,336 (+5%)
• 2026: $134,753 (+5%)

These figures reflect base salary only. Commissioners are also eligible for county benefits, including health insurance and retirement contributions, which in 2024 averaged more than $34,000 per commissioner.

Scale, responsibility, and comparisons

Hennepin County is Minnesota’s largest county, home to roughly 1.3 million residents and responsible for administering a budget exceeding $2.7 billion. Commissioners oversee wide-ranging functions, from public health and housing to transit, courts, and social services.

Even before the latest adjustments, Hennepin commissioners were the highest-paid county board members in the state. By comparison, commissioners in Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, which governs the state’s second-most-populous county, earned about $104,000 in 2025.

During the same period, the Hennepin County Board also approved larger salary increases for other elected offices. By 2026, the county sheriff and county attorney are each set to earn salaries of approximately $231,564, reflecting a broader recalibration of top county compensation.

A ceiling, not a mandate

Under Minnesota law, county boards may set commissioner salaries by resolution, but the amounts must be stated as fixed dollar figures. The 2024 resolution established a salary ceiling, not a blanket raise. Commissioners were required to notify the county administrator by a specified deadline to receive each increase; those who declined or missed the deadline remained at their prior salary level.

As the 2026 increase takes effect, the debate that shaped it continues to echo. Supporters argue the final figure represents a measured correction after years of stagnant pay, while critics maintain that commissioner compensation remains disconnected from the economic realities facing many county residents.

What is clear is that the $134,753 salary now in place is less a single decision than the product of a public reckoning over power, pay, and accountability in Minnesota’s most populous county.

MinneapoliMedia