4 Pierce County elected officials to get pay raises
The Pierce County Council has voted 6-0 to increase the salaries of four elected officials.
The ordinance approved Nov. 12 increases the annual pay for the assessor-treasurer, auditor, county executive and sheriff. Here’s the breakdown:
▪ Assessor-Treasurer Mike Lonergan’s current salary of $138,675 will see a 2.5 percent increase each year for the next two years.
▪ Auditor Julie Anderson’s salary will increase by 2.07 percent to $141,546 for next year.
▪ Executive Bruce Dammeier’s salary will bump from $196,938 to $201,015 with a 2.07 percent increase in 2020.
▪ The sheriff’s pay will jump from $158,791 to $168,318 by 2021.
The Pierce County Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials recommends salary adjustments to the County Council each year. This year, the commission suggested a 2.5 increase for the assessor-treasurer, auditor and county executive, while proposing a 3 percent increase for the sheriff.
Dammeier and Anderson voluntarily chose a smaller increase of 2.07 percent to match the cost of living adjustment, County Council analyst Paul Bocchi told the council. Their salaries will be re-evaluated again at the end of 2020.
A pay raise for the executive means a pay raise for some council members. According to county charter, their pay is tied to the executive’s. Council members make 60 percent of the executive’s salary at the time they are elected, and that pay rate is frozen for the four-year term. If re-elected in 2022, Council members Marty Campbell and Dave Morell would be eligible for the salary increase.
Council member Pam Roach was not present at the vote.
Chairman Doug Richardson sponsored the ordinance.
Richardson has discussed entering the race for sheriff next year. He told The News Tribune he did not consider recusing himself from the Nov. 12 vote.
Richardson said he believes the sheriff should have a higher salary than department subordinates. Eleven sheriff department employees received a salary higher than the sheriff — the highest being the medical director for the Department of Corrections with $213,178.
“There has been great concern that the sheriff has been underpaid, and that’s why the committee recommendation for the sheriff was higher than others,” Richard told The News Tribune.
It is unclear if the salary raise would move the sheriff up the list of department salaries. Many in the department are subject to bargaining agreements, and trying to rank the sheriff’s salary against them would be too speculative, said Libby Catalinich, Pierce County communications director.
Sheriff Paul Pastor has announced his resignation for early next year, leaving the council to approve an interim sheriff until the 2020 election. The winner in the 2020 race would make $9,527 more than Pastor currently does.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 1:00 PM.
