NORWICH – Five Chenango County supervisors, all but one a registered Democrat, contested the salary and benefit packages that will be awarded to county employees and themselves next year.

The average 3 and 4 percent raises for officers and department employees (depending on part-time or full-time) passed nonetheless by a vote of 16 to 5, with two supervisors absent from the board’s September meeting Monday. Those opposed were: James J. McNeil, D-City of Norwich; Rick E. Chase, D-Bainbridge; Peter C. Flanagan, D-Preston; James B. Bays, D-Smyrna; and Jerry L. Kreiner, R-Plymouth.

McNeil led the charge against the compensation package for an assistant attorney in the county attorney’s office. The part-time position would increase by 4 percent in addition to a special adjustment of $2,000 that, according to the personnel department, is intended to bring the county attorney’s office salaries in line with assistant counsel working in the public defender’s office. The position paid $26,000 in January and would pay $29,120 in 2009.

Though the new position was created in 2006 – and made for a total of three assistants for County Attorney Rich Breslin. McNeil said he couldn’t vote for the increase without knowing how many cases the attorney had assisted. He made a motion to eliminate the position from the compensation package to be voted on. Flanagan seconded it.