BATON ROUGE (AP) — Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera is getting a pay raise.

The Legislative Audit Advisory Council, the panel that oversees Purpera’s office, agreed without objection this week to set a new $178,774 salary for its top auditor.

Rep. Hunter Greene, chairman of the panel, says Purpera’s annual pay had been $171,898 before the 4 percent increase. The raise was approved after the audit advisory council performed its annual evaluation of Purpera’s performance in a closed-door session.

Greene says Purpera hadn’t received a pay raise since he was chosen for the job three years ago. The auditor will have to cover the cost of the nearly $6,900 salary boost out of his own budget, without additional funding.

The Legislative Auditor’s Office is a non-partisan agency that audits government departments and reviews state spending.