WAILUKU, Maui — The Maui police chief won't get a raise, and neither will the heads of the Fire Department, Department of Liquor Control or prosecutor's office.

Salary Commission members last week said they didn't think it was appropriate to give raises to county officials during such a deep recession. They denied a request to increase the police chief's salary, and voted unanimously to keep pay at existing levels for the other public safety departments.

"We just felt it's not the time to be raising salaries when so many people are losing jobs," Salary Commission Chairwoman Peggy Haake said after the meeting Thursday.

She added that the commission will continue to meet through the year and could revisit the issue as the economy improves.

The police chief makes $113,100 a year, while the prosecuting attorney makes $110,486, the fire chief makes $105,000, and the director of liquor control makes $97,000. Department deputies' salaries are set at 95 percent of the directors' pay.

News of the Salary Commission's decision disappointed Maui Police Commission member Keone Ball, who has led efforts to lobby for a police chief pay raise.

Police commissioners were hoping to correct an imbalance at MPD, where the chief makes less money than some of his most senior subordinates. The disparity, called salary inversion, happens when seniority-based pay increases negotiated in union contracts outpace raises for the chief.

Other county departments also have salary inversion, but police commissioners were concerned it could make it difficult to recruit a replacement for Chief Tom Phillips, who retires in June.

That now doesn't seem to be an issue, as the commission is in the final stages of selecting a new chief and is to announce its choice May 20. But Ball said last Thursday that the pay issue could still be a hurdle to recruiting a deputy, as many of the most experienced candidates would get a pay cut if they accepted the job.

Ball said he was "frustrated," noting that the Police Commission began asking for the raise 18 months ago, when the economy was still solid. He also said that the Police Department already had money in its budget to cover the raise and would not have to cut services or ask for more funding in order to put it into effect.

"I'm glad they finally made a decision," he said. "Was it the right one? I think not, because the facts are, we have the money. It doesn't make sense to me."