The Pierce County Council has eliminated annual 3 percent pay increases for themselves, the county executive and three other top elected officials.
The council voted 6-0 Tuesday night to approve County Executive Pat McCarthy’s proposal to do away with the automatic raises at a time when the county is seeking no cost-of-living adjustments for all of its nearly 3,000 employees. Council member Stan Flemming was absent.
Council member Tim Farrell said that the council needed to eliminate its pay increase because it has asked county employees to do without. “It shows good leadership on everyone’s part,” Farrell said.
The change removes the raises starting next year for 11 elected officials: the seven council members, the executive, auditor, assessor-treasurer and sheriff.
The decision also activates a 10-member salary commission established by ordinance in 2007. Salaries for the 11 elected officials would be increased only if recommended by the citizens commission and then approved by the council.
The council removed language stipulating the county executive, auditor, assessor-treasurer and sheriff receive 3 percent salary increases each year. By extension, council members’ pay increases were eliminated because their salaries are set by county charter at 60 percent of the executive’s.
One of the elected officials, Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor, donated his annual increase back to the sheriff’s department and corrections bureau in 2010 and to the sheriff’s department in 2011, said Gary Robinson, budget and finance director. Pastor’s donations amounted to $4,029 in 2010 and $4,349.67 in 2011, Robinson said.
Pastor is the only one of the 11 elected officials that the budget and finance department knows of returning his or her COLA back to the county, Robinson said.
Steve Maynard, staff writer
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