MARSHALL — Lyon County Commissioners were divided on whether to increase commissioner pay or per diem rates in 2026. After a couple of different proposals at this week’s county board meeting, commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of a 3% pay increase for next year, while leaving per diem rates for attending committee or other meetings the same.

Later at Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners also held performance reviews for the Lyon County Sheriff and County Attorney, and set salaries for both positions.

The county board is required to set commissioner salaries each year.

“I do have the resolution that was passed a year ago,” said Lyon County Administrator Loren Stomberg. “Currently the board (salary) is at $23,100 per year, with the chair getting an extra $250 a month.”

Per diem payments for commissioners attending other meetings were also at $100 per day, Stomberg said. “The per diems are in the ballpark with the rest of the state,” he said. “There are some counties – probably more counties than I’ve seen in the past – that have done the split rate, where they’ll do a half-day per diem if it’s four hours or less including travel. If it’s over four hours, it would be the full rate.”

“Wages, we’re not high, we’re not low. We’re in that area,” Commissioner Gary Crowley said of current Lyon County commissioner pay. He thought part of that might have come from the fact that in recent years Lyon County had increased commissioners’ pay at the same rate as county employee wage increases. “We’ve been kind of able to keep up with our neighboring counties somewhat for pay. I think that’s helped a lot,” Crowley said.

Budget concerns also factored into the discussion. Commissioners talked about the possibility of holding off on a wage increase to reduce costs for the county, or only raising the per diem rate.

“I would like to stay, I know, with our budget stuff,” Commissioner Todd Draper said of commissioner salaries. At the same time, he said, “I think we need to keep up with the times.”

Commissioner Thomas Andries proposed keeping the same salaries, but increasing per diems a little. Commissioner Rick Anderson asked about going back to a split per diem, where the rate for attending more than one meeting in a day was higher.

Anderson moved that commissioner salaries stay at the 2025 level, but that the county go back to a split per diem rate. Commissioners would receive $100 per day, or $130 for more than two meetings a day. That motion failed on a 3-2 vote.

Anderson followed his first motion with a proposal to leave commissioner salaries the same, but have a split per diem of $100 per day or $140 for more than two meetings a day. That motion also failed, with commissioners Draper, Crowley and Andries casting the votes against.

Draper moved that the per diem rate stay at $100 a day, but that commissioners have a 3% salary increase.

The motion passed along the same split, with Draper, Crowley and Andries voting yes.

Later in the meeting, commissioners went into closed session for performance reviews of Sheriff Eric Wallen and Lyon County Attorney Abby Wikelius. After going back into open session, commissioners passed two separate resolutions setting the sheriff and attorney’s pay, Stomberg said.

The sheriff’s salary was set at $150,150 for 2026, and the county attorney’s salary was set at $157,500.