(a) Effective beginning the term of office of commissioners beginning in November, 2016, and thereafter, the Colbert County Commission may decrease total amount of compensation paid to the member of the commission serving as commission chair by the amount that would make the compensation received by each member serving as commission chair equal to the salaries received by members not serving as commission chair.

(b) At that time and thereafter, the Colbert County Commission may provide an expense allowance to each member of the commission equal to one-sixth of the yearly amount allotted on September 30, 2015, as additional compensation to the member serving as commission chair.

(c) If implementation of the foregoing increases the compensation of an incumbent office holder, the increase shall be paid as an expense allowance until the beginning of the next term of office whereupon the amount of the expense allowance shall be included in the base salary for the office holder and the expense allowance shall be voided. Deductions from the increase shall be made for supernumerary programs as provided by law as if the increase were salary.

(d) Beginning with the fiscal year commencing October 1, 2016, the members of the county commission covered by this section shall be entitled to the same uniform increases in compensation, including cost-of-living increases, longevity increases, merit raises, and bonuses that are granted to county employees by the county commission at the time of the approval of the county budget. The increases shall be in the same amount or percentage, as the case may be, as that amount or percentage increase provided to the county's employees. If the implementation of any cost-of-living adjustment increases the salary of an incumbent office holder, the increase shall be paid as provided in subsection (c).