Pay hikes top 7 percent: County pay panel ends 3-year freeze for electeds

After stiffing Whitman County’s elected officials for the past three years, the county’s citizen salary commission upped their pay more than seven percent Tuesday night.

“It’s time for this commission to do its job,” said Paul Eichenberg of Palouse, chair of the salary commission.

The wages of elected officials are now on par with those paid elected officials in the five counties the commission uses for comparison: Stevens, Okanogan, Kittitas, Douglas and Jefferson.

Pay rates lagged because the commission did not give electeds raises the last three years, often at the request of county commissioners.

Commissioner Greg Partch cited a growing budget deficit the last two years in saying the county could not afford raises to elected officials.

In contrast, Sheriff Brett Myers told the commission Tuesday night his current $73,872 salary barely covers his family’s insurance premiums.

“I don’t come here to win a big jackpot,” Myers told the commission. “But at the same time I don’t do this to put my family’s income in jeopardy.”

Lack of a pay raise and increased health insurance costs mean he could take home more money as a deputy than as the county sheriff, he said.

“That’s a very perverse disincentive,” said salary commissioner Dennis Hatley of Pullman.

Deputies, under their union contract, have received four percent pay raises for each of the past eight years. Their health insurance is also fully paid by the county under the union pact.

Prosecutor Denis Tracy advocated for a raise to Myers’ salary.

Salary commissioners Robert Rembert of Pullman asked if the commission had access to the insurance benefits provided by the comparison counties.

Without the salary commission’s 2007 decision to raise salaries to the full average of comparison counties, said Myers, he would now be working only to pay for health insurance. The 2007 decision raised salaries 18.5 to 21.8 percent.

Eichenberg said the commission is tasked only with setting salaries without the ability to factor in benefits.

Rembert said it’s a “fairy tale” to determine compensation without factoring in how monthly insurance premiums impact the overall compensation package.

Eichenberg said he will review state law and may call a future meeting of the salary commission to discuss insurance.

Ken Arthur, an employee in the road department, told the salary commission “it ain’t right” to give elected officials raises when rank-and-file employees are being paid at 72 percent of what they would be paid in comparable counties.

“They can’t afford to pay their employees comparable wages, but yet elected officials are compensated at nearly 100 percent,” said Arthur.

Treasurer Robert Lothspeich said employees have gotten scheduled longevity raises, known as step raises, of three percent for every 18 months they work at the same time elected officials have gone without raises.

Myers said his deputies are making 36 percent more than they were in 2003. He added the salary of Tim Myers, parks department director, has risen from $58,128 in 2003 to $79,500 this year.

Because of the pay trend for the comparison counties, pay for the assessor, auditor, clerk and treasurer will exceed the county commissioners’ salaries for the first time.

Next year’s salary for commissioners will rise seven percent, from $58,164 to $62,748; for assessor, auditor, clerk and treasurer, up nine percent from $57,288 to $62,784. The Sheriff’s salary will increase eight percent, from $73,872 to $80,532.

Under Eichenberg’s advice, the coroner’s salary will remain $2,100 above the pay of the assessor, auditor, clerk and treasurer, increasing eight percent from $59,388 to $64,884.

The commission in 2006 upgraded the coroner from a part-time to a full-time position, doubling the pay of long-time Coroner Pete Martin. Martin was being paid at 55 percent of a comparable full-time position.

Eichenberg urged the salary commission to keep that disparity Tuesday, saying Martin is the only elected official who can be called to duty at any hour of any day.

Prosecutor Denis Tracy’s wage will increase from $121,248 to $125,412, though more than half his salary is paid by the state.

The 10-member salary commission was created by county commissioners in 2004 to take the pay decision out of their hands. The commission consists of two citizens from each commissioner district, along with a personnel management professional, an organized labor representative, a legal professional and a representative from the business community.

The four professional positions are appointed by county commissioners, and the six representative slots are filled by people who agree to serve after being selected at random from the county’s voter rolls.