PORT ANGELES — How much money should an elected official earn?
That’s a question the three Clallam County commissioners will tackle when they meet in a work session at 9 a.m. Monday.
Commissioner Jim McEntire floated an idea Sept. 9 to align elected officials’ pay, including his own, to the part-time state Legislature.
“I just wanted to get the discussion started,” he said in a Saturday interview.
McEntire scheduled the follow-up work session on salary options for the three commissioners, county assessor, auditor, community development director, sheriff and treasurer.
“We elected guys are hired by the people, and we need to lead on this issue,” McEntire said.
The work session will be in Room 160 at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St.
McEntire is scheduled to earn $70,596 next year as a full-time commissioner.
The Sequim Republican would earn $42,106 in 2015 under his preferred option, as would most of the other elected officials.
McEntire proposed to cut Sheriff Bill Benedict’s salary from $99,744 to $84,696.
The difference between the sheriff and other elected officials is that Benedict oversees a 24-hour agency and jail, McEntire has said.
In addition to the pay cuts, McEntire favors the establishment of a citizens salary commission to make recommendations on elected officials’ pay.
“We need to think about, at the very minimum, stopping the annual step increases and COLA — cost-of-living adjustment — in addition to taking some kind of a haircut,” McEntire said.
The state sets the salaries for judges and partially funds the elected prosecuting attorney.
Non-elected county department heads have union contracts.
“The elected officials don’t have a contract, other than with the people,” McEntire said.
Several elected officials interviewed last month raised concerns about the proposal. Benedict called the idea “penny-wise and pound-foolish.”
McEntire said he proposed the salary reductions in response to projected revenue shortfalls, namely cuts from the state and federal government.
“I don’t think this is going to go away for the next several years,” McEntire said of the county’s fiscal challenges.
If a county cuts the salaries of its elected officials, it must do so before the November election.
McEntire’s preferred option would save county taxpayers $232,854, or 0.74 percent of the $31.5 million general fund budget for 2015.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
