1. The county auditor in any county, other than in a first classification chartered county or a first classification county not having a charter form of government and not containing any part of a city with a population of three hundred thousand or more, shall receive an annual salary computed on an assessed valuation basis as set forth in the following schedule. The assessed valuation factor shall be the amount thereof as shown for the year next preceding the computation. The provisions of this section shall not permit or require a reduction in the amount of compensation being paid for the office of auditor on January 1, 1997.

2. Two thousand dollars of the salary authorized in this section shall be payable to the auditor only if the auditor has completed at least twenty hours of classroom instruction each calendar year relating to the operations of the auditor’s office when approved by a professional association of the county auditors of Missouri unless exempted from the training by the professional association. The professional association approving the program shall provide a certificate of completion to each auditor who completes the training program and shall send a list of certified auditors to the treasurer of each county. Expenses incurred attending the training session may be reimbursed to the county auditor in the same manner as other expenses as may be appropriated for that purpose.

3. The county auditor in any county, other than a first classification charter county, shall not, except upon two-thirds vote of all the members of the salary commission, receive an annual compensation less than the total compensation being received for the office of county auditor in the particular county for services rendered or performed on the date the salary commission votes.