Port commissioners may vote themselves paycheck

Commissioners of the Port of Whitman County will decide soon if they want to get paid for serving on the board.

State law allows commissioners of port districts that take in more than $1 million in annual revenue to draw $200 per month compensation. Last year, the port hit the $1 million mark, and the agency expects to top it again this year.

Commissioners at their meeting last Thursday, Aug. 19, decided to table a decision on whether or not to allow themselves to take the pay. If passed, the resolution would allow each commissioner to make an individual decision to accept the pay.

Debbie Snell, port properties and development manager, said Commissioner Don Cox was absent from the meeting because he was harvesting. Commissioners Dan Boone and John Love, did not want to make the decision without consulting Cox, she said.

Port commissioners now receive reimbursement for travel costs.