PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County commissioners on Monday approved a salary increase for elected officials by tying compensation to a percentage of the statewide Superior Court judge salary levels.
The item was approved unanimously on the consent agenda with no scheduled discussion, done so because of previous discussions and public hearings, according to District 3 Commissioner John Austin.
The matter was brought up in the public comment period by Dan Toepper, a candidate for the District 3 commissioner’s seat, and Democratic Party Chair George Yount, prompting Austin’s response.
Toepper mentioned an article in Sunday’s Peninsula Daily News about Clallam County Commissioner Jim McIntire’s proposal to lower salaries for some elected officials as a contrast to Jefferson County’s action, while Yount said that keeping salaries low “would continue to attract old people with old ideas” to public office.
“Mr. McIntire receives a generous government pension which was well earned,” Austin said.
“However, I think we want to open up our elected offices to make them available to younger people who haven’t already earned their retirements.
“When you are elected, it is for a four-year term, and there is no guarantee that it will continue, and they may have interrupted their career.”
The higher salaries, which would take effect in January 2015, are tied to the salaries of Superior Court judges, which are set by the Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials.
That salary was increased to $156,363 on Sept. 1.
The salaries for assessor, auditor, clerk and treasurer would be 47 percent of this amount, raising their annual pay from $71,980 to $73,490.
The sheriff would get 56 percent, increasing the salary from $85,015 to $87,563.
The prosecuting attorney’s pay would be 84 percent of the judge’s salary — or $131,344.
The state contributes to the prosecuting attorney’s pay an amount equal to half that of a Superior Court judge.
As of January, the county’s share would rise from $52,602 annually to $53,163, while the state would pay $78,182.
A raise for county commissioners from $63,926 to $73,951 was adopted in March and will take effect in January 2017.
During his public remarks, Toepper said that action should be rescinded.
After the meeting, he said that increasing the salaries of elected officials would attract people from outside the county who are more motivated toward their own career than a life of public service.
“I don’t think this is the proper time to be doing this,” Toepper, who is running with no party preference, said.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people who are concerned about this.
“We are coming out of difficult financial times, and I think there are a lot of other places where the money could be better served.
“This is more of an incentive to bring in activist people who are hired guns who are looking to make more money or even extend political partisanship.”
Kathleen Kler, Toepper’s Democratic opponent, who attended the meeting but did not speak, differed with Toepper about rescinding the commissioners’ salary increase and said that few people she spoke to were concerned about the issue.
“The people I’ve talked to said that if someone wants to voluntarily give up their salary, that’s fine, but they don’t see the need to push the salaries down,” she said.
Toepper and Kler discussed the topic following the meeting, with Kler asking Toepper whether people brought up the subject of the commissioners’ raises on their own.
“I usually bring it up because people ask me why I’m running for commissioners, and that is one of the reasons — that I think this should be changed,” Toepper said.
Toepper asked whether Kler favored the $10,000 raise, and she answered affirmatively.
“I think the level of responsibility and the commissioners’ salary is fine, because I know what other commissioners make and this is reasonable,” Kler said.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
