�There will only be longevity increases of five percent for Constitutional officers who are re-elected to office," he explained.�"The law also provides for increases of two-and-a-half percent for re-elected county commissioners."

Constitutional officers are typically Probate Judges, Clerks of Superior Courts, Tax Commissioners, and Sheriffs.�The salaries of magistrate judges are also set at the state level, he added.

At least one Lamar Commissioner has expressed reluctance to accept a pay raise while county employees continue to receive none.

But according to Grubiak, however, the law mandates payment of salaries as dictated by the Legislature. �From a legal standpoint, counties are obligated to pay what the law specifies," he said.

When questioned further, Grubiak admitted � in theory at least � that officials who�object on philosophical grounds to pay increases would not be prohibited from�donating an equal amount back to their county�s treasury.

In normal circumstances, he concluded, general pay hikes coincide with similar gains paid to all state workers. For at least four years though, none have been approved.