PORT ANGELES — Citing a need for elected officials to “show some example in leadership of tightening our belts,” Jim McEntire, one of the three Clallam County commissioners, on Tuesday proposed linking salaries of seven elected officials to the part-time state Legislature.
That would mean a large pay cut.
“In my particular case, that’s about a 37 percent haircut,” McEntire said in a discussion about the county’s preliminary roll-up budget for 2015.
“I’m not doing this job for the money. There’s a whole heck of a lot easier ways to make the money I get in salary. So that’s not my purpose in life,” McEntire said.
“But given the fact that we face some very severe revenue headwinds, I think it’s incumbent on us that hold offices of public trust to lead the way in terms of personal belt-tightening and make sure the example that we show is appropriate for the rest of the county,” he continued.
The county commissioners did not discuss McEntire’s proposal Tuesday.
McEntire, who is scheduled to earn $70,590 next year as a full-time commissioner, would instead earn $42,106 under his preferred option in 2015, as would the other two commissioners, county assessor, auditor, treasurer and director of community development.
The net reduction in pay for these seven elected officials would save county taxpayers $232,854 next year alone, from a scheduled $616,033 to $383,179.
The state sets the salaries for judges and county prosecuting attorneys. County Sheriff Bill Benedict would take less of a pay cut — from $99,742 to $88,437 — under McEntire’s proposal.
McEntire framed his pitch by describing the fiscal environment as “partly cloudy and becoming more cloudy as time goes on.”
He cited the rising interest from the national debt, costs of funding state pension accounts and the state Supreme Court’s 2012 McCleary decision on K-12 education funding that will “soak up all of the new money that’s coming to the state and then some.”
“From both the federal and the state fiscal environment, we can expect a very bleak revenue picture,”McEntire said.
In a Tuesday email to county elected officials, department heads and those running for elected office, McEntire said those in positions of public trust “should lead the way in the difficult fiscal circumstances we will face next year and in the coming four years.”
“I will gladly listen to arguments,” McEntire wrote.
“I intend to bring this to a work session in the next several weeks.”
Commissioner Mike Chapman said Tuesday he would vote against the allowed 1 percent property tax increase, which would result in $100,000 in new revenue for a total property tax collection of $10.1 million
“In the past, I’ve supported a 1 percent property tax increase, but this year, I don’t plan to,” Chapman said.
“Maybe it’s something for further discussion down the road.”
The three commissioners voted unanimously to accept County Administrator Jim Jones’ preliminary budget.
“I’ll second [the motion],” Commissioner Mike Doherty said, “but I don’t want in any way to agree with the previous comments of either of my colleagues.
“There will come a time for a discussion.”
________
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
