SLO County supervisors are considering raising their own salaries by as much as 18 percent, which would take their pay up to $93,400 a year, plus benefits.

An item about that and other pay raise options was on the agenda for their Oct. 16 meeting, but the item went undiscussed. A public hearing is set for Nov. 6, when supervisors will decide exactly how much to increase their salaries.

The five elected county supervisors base their salaries on supervisors' pay in Marin, Napa, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Santa Barbara counties. A survey of these counties in 2006 showed that SLO County supervisors' pay lagged behind by 23 percent.

Before the latest survey, supervisors had decided in 2006 to catch up with the comparison counties by phasing in a salary increase over two years, at 11.5 percent each year. The first increase was effective in January 2007.

If they avoid the bigger raise, they could stick with the 11.5 percent increase originally planned for 2008, taking supervisors' pay from $79,000 to $88,100. Another option would raise their pay by 6.34 percent, the same increase given to county staff represented by San Luis Obispo County Employees Association--to $84,000, plus benefits.