Cherokee County approve funds for big raises

(Tahlequah-AP) -- Elected officials in Cherokee County earn more than most county officials in northeastern Oklahoma.

Cherokee County commissioners in Tahlequah approved budget transfers today allowing elected officials to earn 52-thousand dollars a year. That's the highest in the region outside Tulsa County.

Outgoing County Commissioner G-V Gulager says 52-thousand a year is a lot of money in a rural county and is a bit excessive.

He cast the lone no vote when fellow commissioners Maxie Thompson and Jim Gower approved the wage increases at an earlier meeting.

Gulager lost his re-election bid in the Democratic primary.

Two years ago, Gulager helped usher in ten-thousand dollar pay raises for some Cherokee County officials.

But this time, Thompson and Gower approved increases of ten-thousand dollars and 20-thousand dollars to even the salaries out.