Senate OKs pay hike of 2.5% for guv, others

The Utah Senate approved a bill granting a 2.5 percent raise for the state's top office on Monday, an increase that will also be received by other top-level state executives.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. will earn $109,900 next year, while second-tier executives will collect 95 percent of that amount. Two new positions have been added to this list — the executive directors of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Utah Sports Authority — in addition to the lieutenant governor, attorney general, state treasurer and state auditor.

The salary of the state auditor, while having previously been considered in the "second tier" of state executives, is newly tied to the governor's rate, according to provisions in the bill.