A quick look at the agenda for tomorrow’s Board of County Commissioner’s meeting shows a reappointment for one or more members of the panel that decides salaries for elected county officials. (Previous meeting minutes indicate one member of the panel was recently relieved of his duties.) The Lewiston Tribune reported last month the panel had recommended salary increases of 3 to 10 percent for local officials on the heels of annual cost of living raises going back to 2012.
Commissioners reportedly receive a 3 percent raise. The prosecutor gets 4 percent. Other elected officials get 6 percent — except for the sheriff, who will see a 10 percent increase in salary. The Tribune reports:
Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers will see a 10 percent raise next year, bringing his annual salary to $104,280. Since the commission began deciding raises in 2004, the sheriff’s pay has risen by 85 percent. On average, the elected officials have seen raises of about 110 percent from what they were making 14 years ago. That number is skewed slightly, however, given that the county coroner was a part-time position until 2005, accounting for a larger pay raise average.
The panel is appointed by the county commissioners to avoid having elected officials set their own salaries. You can see the salary levels for other county employees, including deputies, accountants and road crews here.
Here’s how the Gazette and the Daily News covered the recent salary recommendations.
Other agenda items for tomorrow address credit card spending by the sheriff and the “corner,” presumably the coroner. There’s also a resolution to sell some county property to Kittitas County.
In the future, I hope to set up a local Access Guide to help readers track public meetings and available records. You can find the current Whitman County Commissioners agenda here and previously approved meeting minutes here.