Pay raises proposed for Thurston County commissioners and other elected leaders
Do you think Thurston County’s elected leaders deserve a pay raise?
The Thurston County Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials is hosting a public hearing at 7 p.m. Monday to hear comment on the raises it is proposing for 2018. The meeting will be in room 152 of Building One at the County Courthouse complex, 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW, Olympia.
“They would really like to hear feedback from the community,” said Ruth Elder, clerk for the salary commission.
The proposed 2018 salaries are:
▪ $9,819 a month for the county commissioners, assessor, auditor, clerk, coroner and treasurer. That’s $117,828 a year, up 2 percent from the current salary of $115,512. Last year, those positions received a roughly 3.5 percent pay raise, Elder said.
▪ $14,099 a month for the prosecuting attorney. That’s $169,188 a year, up 2 percent from the current salary of $165,873. Last year, the prosecutor received a 2 percent hike, Elder said.
▪ $11,383 a month for the sheriff. That’s $136,596 a year, up 4 percent from the current salary of $131,340. Last year, the sheriff received a 5 percent raise, Elder said.
If approved, it will be the third year in a row that the county’s elected officials receive salary hikes, Elder said.
Before that, the county’s elected officials didn’t receive pay raises for several years, as the county dealt with layoffs and budget cuts related to the Great Recession, Elder said. The county’s non-elected employees didn’t receive pay raises during that time either.
After Monday’s public hearing, the citizens’ commission could vote to give the three-member Board of County Commissioners a pay raise, or decide to take action on a different date.
“It will depend largely on what kind of comments they hear from the public, or receive in writing,” Elder said.
The group then will submit its salary recommendations for the other elected officials, such as the sheriff and auditor, to the Board of County Commissioners for approval.
“The county commissioners don’t take action on their own salaries,” Elder said.
The salary commission is made up of two registered voters chosen by lot from each of the three commissioner’s districts, as well as representatives from business, the legal profession, organized labor and personnel management. They build their recommendations using several factors, including salaries of non-elected county employees, as well as salaries of similar elected positions in other counties around the state, Elder said.
A report prepared for the citizens group showed that Thurston commissioners are being paid $9,626 in 2017, while their counterparts are being paid $8,848 in Benton County, $5,459 in Clark County, $10,506 in Kitsap County, $9,412 in Pierce County, $11,811 in Snohomish County, $9,224 in Spokane County, $8,164 in Yakima County, and $2,555 for the half-time position in Whatcom County.
People who can’t make it to the meeting can submit written comments before 4 p.m. Monday to elderr@co.thurston.wa.us or Ruth Elder, Clerk, Thurston County Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials, 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW, Olympia.
This story was originally published November 16, 2017 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Pay raises proposed for Thurston County commissioners and other elected leaders."