PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners will form an advisory committee that will make salary recommendations for eight elected officials, but they won’t do it today.
Commissioners on Monday pulled a policy amendment from today’s meeting agenda that would have created a citizens advisory committee on salaries so that they could first gather more input from current officeholders.
“We would be more than glad to have comments, suggestions, thoughts, that kind of thing before we put this back together,” said Commissioner Jim McEntire, who suggested pay cuts for elected officials last year.
“I’m very sure that we’ll have another hearing, given the fairly significant nature of what change might happen.”
The committee as proposed would consist of seven members chosen by the board.
It would make recommendations on wages for the county assessor, auditor, community development director, sheriff, treasurer and three commissioners.
State decisions
Salaries for judges and the prosecuting attorney are set by the state.
The idea to form a salary review committee came from the elected Clallam County Charter Review Commission.
“I’d want well-considered, thoughtful, well-researched advice from any committee we set up,” McEntire said in a board work session. “Otherwise, why bother?”
Commissioner Mike Chapman raised concerns about reducing elected officials’ pay while salaries for appointed department heads are protected.
“I don’t think it’s elected officials’ salaries the public’s concerned about,” Chapman said.
“I think it’s the appointed officials’ salaries that I hear that people are concerned about; appointed officials making $70,000, $80,000, $90,000, $100,000 a year.”
Lowering elected officials’ pay is “cheap politically” and “disrespects greatly the professionalism that we expect” from elected officeholders, Chapman said.
County Assessor Pam Rushton requested that elected officials help select members of the salary committee.
“We do try to work very hard,” Rushton added.
Appointed earn most
Commissioner Bill Peach observed that appointed department heads are the highest paid employees in their department and most elected officials are paid less than their chief deputies.
“I’d be real interested in listening to the other electeds talk about: ‘Is that the way it should be, should we be thinking about changing that?’ ” Peach said.
The county assessor, auditor, community development director, treasurer and commissioners are earning between $67,189 and $77,919 this year. The sheriff’s salary is $99,744.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
