Nye County commissioners deadlocked 2-2 Tuesday on a request for more pay by Pahrump Justice of the Peace Tina Brisebill.

Commissioners Joni Eastley and Roberta "Midge" Carver voted against the request; Commissioners Butch Borasky and Peter Liakopoulos voted in favor.

Commission Chairman Gary Hollis was absent due to his hospitalization for an illness, but in a previous meeting during which the request was on the agenda, he didn't allow time for comment before declaring the item had died for lack of a second.

Brisebill angrily said, "I would like to comment that they (the county) are in violation of the law."

She previously had explained how Pahrump was supposed to gain a second justice court when its population exceeded 34,000.

Brisebill said it wasn't fair to link her salary with that of other justices of the peace in Nye County. Her report noted the Pahrump Justice Court had 2,733 non-traffic cases filed, the Tonopah Justice Court 541 and the Beatty Justice court 157. Brisebill's case load equates to 53 cases per week, as opposed to only 10 cases per week in Tonopah and three in Beatty.

"The position cannot be compared to those other officials. It is a 24-hour position. I am available at all times for search warrants, etc. When the population reaches the next threshold of 47,000, the JP must be available 24 hours a day for protective orders," Brisebill said.

Brisebill said the Elko Justice of the Peace, who has a similar case load, is paid $107,656. She felt a salary of $92,000 to $95,000 annually would be fair compensation. An increase in salary would also enable the county to attract a higher quality of candidate for the second justice of the peace position, Brisebill said.

"The trend we have in our growth pattern tells me in the next few years, we're going to be looking at 50,000 to 60,000 with all these subdivisions going in. It's not for the faint of heart to be doing this job," Brisebill said.

But Eastley said her position was unchanged from the first time the Pahrump justice pay came before the commission.

"I never believed, and don't believe, that we pay for work by the pound in this county," Eastley said. "If we begin paying for work by the pound, I'll say the same thing I did years ago: Sheriff's deputies in Pahrump should be paid significantly more."

Eastley said the job description doesn't differ from that of Tonopah Justice Joe Maslach.

Justices of the peace were last given a raise in 2003, the same year pay went up for county commissioners and other elected officials. Brisebill said the state legislature didn't pass a bill allowing justices of the peace a pay raise like district court judges.

County commissioners can set the minimum compensation for justices in the townships at the first meeting in July, by state law, she said.

"The legislature many years ago deemed that those salaries would be set by the individual (county) commission. I would be happy if it was settled in the legislature where everybody else's salary is settled," Brisebill said.

Assistant County Manager Pam Webster said the agenda wording wouldn't permit a suggestion by Eastley to raise the pay of all Nye County justices of the peace. Webster said Brisebill's request would be a 38 percent pay increase. Brisebill's salary is $71,413 annually. Brisebill was re-elected last November to a six-year term.

Brisebill said Clark County makes a distinction for Las Vegas justices, who receive an annual salary of $128,700, while the Laughlin justice receives an $86,335 salary.

Maslach, the Tonopah justice, noted all three county JP's are full time, working 24 hours per day, seven days per week. He said the Laughlin justice works four days per week. Pershing County has two justices who make $80,000 annual salaries, Maslach added.

"We're all full-time judges, we should get the same," Maslach said. "It's seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Believe me, my phone rings a lot at night."

Maslach pointed out Brisebill recently received county commission approval to appoint two justices pro tem to sit in while she's unable to attend proceedings.

Attorney Lillian Donohue said she's been practicing law for 30 years and has witnessed firsthand the case loads in Pahrump justice court.

Resident Art Jones added, "other people in Pahrump and Nye County received raises, it's time you took care of the justice court."

County commissioners raised their annual pay last month from $22,796.80 to $23,706.62. The pay of other county officials increased automatically by state statute. County Sheriff Tony DeMeo's annual pay goes up from $81,845 to $87,575; County Recorder Byron Foster, County Clerk Sam Merlino and County Assessor Sandy Musselman all received annual salary increases from $65,011 to $69,563 apiece.

Pahrump Justice Court Administrator Kathy Ivey said, "Our judge is working very hard, she's always making sure she's educated. She knows what the latest updates are in the state.

"The judicial system shouldn't be rated on how much money the justice court takes in, it should be rated on processing cases through the system as quickly as it can and with our population growing the way it has we have a tremendous amount of additional cases each year."

For the record, a report delivered to commissioners Tuesday noted the Pahrump Justice Court remanded $203,265 in fines, fees and assessments to the county treasurer in the second quarter of 2007.