Opinion ID: 1825826
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Salaries of the auditor, treasurer, and county recorder.

Text: Before addressing the merits of the claim of each officer, some general comments are appropriate. In each appeal, the trial court found that the board acted in an arbitrary and unreasonable manner, without giving adequate consideration to the responsibilities and duties assigned to the officers. Under the standards we have articulated herein, we will examine the action of the county board independently and arrive at our own conclusions regarding its propriety. The trial court, having found the county board's actions to be unreasonable, determined what it felt was a reasonable salary, and judgment was entered in each appeal determining the salary of the officer. This language is common to all three statutes governing these appeals: If the court shall find that the board acted in an arbitrary, capricious, oppressive or unreasonable manner it shall remand the matter to the county board for further action consistent with the court's finding. Minn.St. 384.151, subd. 7; 385.373, subd. 7; 386.015, subd. 7. This is in contrast to the language of the sheriff's appeal statute, which specifically authorizes the court to    make such order to take the place of the order appealed from as is justified by the record and [to] remand the matter to the county board for further action consistent with the court's findings   . § 387.20, subd. 7. The difference in statutory authority is, as revealed by our prior discussion, reflective of the different constitutional restraints on judicial review of salary determinations of quasi-judicial officers as opposed to other county officers. It was thus improper for the district court to enter an order determining the amount of the salary of each officer; the function of the district court is solely to determine whether or not the action of the board is in violation of the standards prescribed by the statutes. Officers who take appeals to the district court have the burden of showing that the action of the county board was arbitrary, capricious, or in unreasonable disregard of their duties and responsibilities. In an effort to sustain this burden, the officers here submitted affidavits in support of their positions. While all three appealing officers presented their evidence to the district court independently, certain elements of proof were common. All three officers sought to establish that their salaries were substantially lower than those paid to officers in the same positions in neighboring counties. The county board considered this fact but felt constrained by the lower population and assessed valuation of Fillmore County to pay all county officers less than the salaries paid officials in neighboring counties. These are valid factors for the board to consider, as they are a measure of the county's ability to raise revenue through tax levies. All three officers sought to emphasize the broad scope of their duties and responsibilities as a basis for higher salaries. The board did not address the specific duties of each officer but merely averred that it had considered the duties and responsibilities of the various officials. While we would prefer a more detailed recitation of what duties and responsibilities the board ascribed to each officer, there was no factual evidence presented to support (as in the case of the sheriff) the conclusionary claims of increases in the responsibilities of any official or in the staff of any office. The county board is entrusted generally with the management of the county, including the fiscal management. Budgetary decisions are often a matter of discretion, requiring a balancing of many factors. Under the statutes governing the instant appeals, it is not the function of the district court in the first instance, or this court on subsequent appeal, to substitute its discretion for that of the county board. Our examination of the record is limited to an inquiry as to whether the county board has acted unreasonably or arbitrarily. While we may reach a conclusion different from the county board based upon the evidence considered, we cannot substitute our judgment for that of the county board absent a determination of arbitrariness or failure to sufficiently consider the duties and responsibilities of the office in question. In the instant case, we feel that there has been no such showing. While the record might support the conclusion that the appealing officers are paid less than their counterparts in other counties, there is no evidence that the refusal to grant the requested increases represented more than the considered judgment of the Fillmore County Board. There is no showing that these three officials were arbitrarily or capriciously treated in comparison with other county employees. Nor is there any claim or suggestion that the board's action was affected by bad faith or ill will. We conclude that the district court erred in finding that the board's actions were improper.