Committee praises state health director, recommends pay raise

The executive director of the Utah Department of Health received a large dose of praise — and a recommendation for a salary increase — by a legislative committee Tuesday.

The Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee unanimously endorsed a bill that would allow the governor to establish a salary higher than the current statutory maximum if the director of the health department is a physician.

SB178, sponsored by Sen. Pete Knudson, R-Brigham City, allows for a salary "within the highest physician salary range established by the state Department of Human Resource Management" — currently between $132,059 and $209,456 annually.

The nonphysician salary range would remain at the current $85,700 and $115,700 under SB178.

Though SB178 would also apply to all future directors, discussion Tuesday centered around the current executive director, Dr. David Sundwall, who was appointed to the position in January 2005 by incoming Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

Sundwall has a long history in the public and private health care fields, including extensive work in Washington D.C. with the U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee and the Centers for Disease Control.

Because of his experience, Knudson said, Sundwall's salary "should by compensated commensurate with that deep and broad background." Committee members agreed, with each weighing in with their own compliments for the doctor.