1. Each board of election commissioners in existence on January 1, 1978, shall set the salaries of its employees. Except as provided in subsection 3 of this section, the number of employees of each board and the total yearly amount of all salaries paid to the board’s employees shall not exceed the number of employees and the total yearly amount of all salaries authorized on January 1, 1982; except that, in any city which has over three hundred thousand inhabitants and is located in more than one county, the board of election commissioners having jurisdiction in the part of the city situated in the county containing the major portion of the city may set the number of its employees and the total yearly amount of all salaries authorized by ordinance.

2. Each board of election commissioners established after January 1, 1978, shall set the salaries of its employees. Except as provided in subsection 3 of this section, the number of employees of each board and the total yearly amount of all salaries paid to the board’s employees shall not exceed the number of employees and the total yearly amount of all salaries authorized on December 31, 1977, for counties of the first class not having a charter form of government.

3. If any board of election commissioners wishes to increase the number of its employees or the total yearly amount of all salaries paid to its employees, the board shall deliver a notice of the fact to the presiding officer of the local legislative body or bodies responsible for providing payment of the election commissioners’ salaries. The notice shall specify the number of additional employees requested and the additional yearly amount requested by the board and shall include a justification of the increase and a day, not less than ninety days after the notice is delivered, on which the increase is to take effect. Unless any legislative body responsible for approving payment of the election commissioners’ salaries adopts a resolution disapproving the increase, the increase shall take effect on the day specified. Any board of election commissioners may implement salary adjustments, after notice to the presiding officer of the local legislative body or bodies responsible for providing payment of the election commissioners’ salaries, equal to, but not more than, those adjustments granted to the employees of the local legislative body or bodies without prior legislative approval.