IRON MOUNTAIN — The pay for Dickinson County commissioners will go up by $50 a month beginning in 2023, the first increase in the base rate in nearly 25 years.

The county board approved the increase Monday, pushing the annual rate for the board chair to $5,400. The annual pay for the other four commissioners will be $4,200.

A month ago, the board voted 3-2 to reject a higher increase based on a wage study by MGT Consulting. That proposal would have raised the board chair’s salary to $5,616 and the commissioners’ rate to $5,001.

Commissioner Ann Martin, who had opposed the higher increase, said the new proposal is well below the MGT recommendation and also below the average pay for county commissioners. When the matter was discussed at a finance meeting March 17, Martin noted board salaries hadn’t changed since 1999.

Monday’s vote to approve the new pay scale was unanimous.

Commissioner Joe Stevens, who had also opposed a higher increase, said commissioners can accept less pay at their own discretion. Chairman Henry Wender, who had also voted no, said the current salary is similar to what it was when he started on the board in the 1980s and the new rate is “far less than they recommended.”

In addition to a salary, board members receive a $25 per diem payment for each local meeting, plus higher per diems for out-of-town meetings, as well as mileage.

April 19 is the filing deadline for candidates seeking election to the county board this November as a Democrat or Republican. A primary, if necessary, will take place Aug. 2. The deadline for candidates filing without party affiliation is July 21.