Three elected officials will get raises ranging from 5 to 13 percent under a measure approved Tuesday by the Pierce County Council.
The council voted 4-2 to boost the pay of Assessor-Treasurer Ken Madsen, Auditor Pat McCarthy and Sheriff Paul Pastor.
Madsen’s pay will increase nearly 10 percent to $112,500. McCarthy’s pay will rise nearly 13 percent to $112,500. Pastor’s will get a nearly 5 percent boost to $128,820.
The plan also calls for automatic 3 percent annual pay increases for those officials in future years.
Supporters say the raises are needed to keep those officials’ salaries in line with other elected officials and county department heads.
Councilman Roger Bush, R-Graham, said the new salaries are appropriate “for the office and the number of people they manage.”
“It’s parity,” said Councilwoman Barbara Gelman, D-Tacoma.
Last November the council voted to give County Executive John Ladenburg a 21 percent raise to $159,338.
Council salaries, which under the county charter are 60 percent of the executive’s pay, also rose 21 percent. However, only three current council members – Gelman; Shawn Bunney, R-Lake Tapps; and Terry Lee, R-Gig Harbor – received a 21 percent pay hike in January because they had just been re-elected.
Those council members now earn $95,603. The other council seats will get those raises after the 2008 election.
Joining Bush and Gelman in supporting the pay raises were Bunney and Councilman Tim Farrell, D-Tacoma. Councilmen Calvin Goings, D-Puyallup, and Dick Muri, R-Steilacoom, opposed the raises.
Muri said that before boosting the pay of elected officials the county should raise salaries for corrections officers, engineers and other hard-to-fill positions.
Goings said he soon will introduce legislation that would require a citizens committee to determine the salaries of elected officials in the county.
He said it’s bad policy for elected officials to vote to raise their own pay.
David Wickert: 253-274-7341
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