Will Pierce County councilors get more pay if they approve sheriff, exec raises?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Pierce County Council will decide on 4% raises for the Executive and Sheriff Nov. 18.
- Charter bars council incumbents from raises midterm; only newly elected members qualify.
- Bryan Yambe stands to make more than other councilors.
On Tuesday, the Pierce County Council will decide if several high-ranking elected officials, including the executive and sheriff, will get a 2% pay raise in 2026 and another 2% bump in 2027. That raises the question: Would council members also give themselves a raise, as the charter requires that council members “receive 60% of the Executive’s salary”?
The answer is complicated.
Per the charter, “no council member may receive a salary increase for the term of office during which the ordinance establishing the increase is adopted.” That means only newly elected Bryan Yambe would be in line to get a raise in 2026-2027, because his term is the only one that starts in 2026, said council communications director Bryan Dominique.
“Council members will not always have the same level of pay,” Dominique said. “For example, if a member takes office or starts a new term on January 1, 2026, they would be eligible for the 2% raise. However, if a member is still serving the same term on January 1, 2026, they will not be eligible for the pay raise, and the same applies to 2027.”
Although the county’s salary class plan says Pierce County Council members made a base salary of $137,889.32 in 2025, in practice some council members make more or less, according to the current salaries Dominique shared with The News Tribune on Friday.
Five of the seven sitting council members had an annual base salary of $137,889.32: Paul Herrera, Amy Cruver, Rosie Ayala, Yambe and Jani Hitchen. Two had a base salary of $123,773.23: Dave Morell and Robyn Denson.
Those who have the higher base salary made a total of $149,530.16 in 2025 (that includes an elected official travel allowance of $970.07 per month). Morell and Denson made a total of $135,414.07, according to the county.
As previously reported by The News Tribune, in 2025 Executive Ryan Mello made $229,815 a year, Sheriff Keith Swank made $196,833 a year, Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer Marty Campbell made $167,019 a year and Auditor Linda Farmer made $167,016 a year, according to Dominique.
The average annual wage for a worker in Pierce County as of early 2024 was $66,230, lower than the national average of $70,857 and the Washington state average of $87,360, according to Pierce County Workforce Central.
Why would Yambe make the most?
If the raises are approved, it appears Yambe, the member with the least experience on the council, would make the most in 2026.
In short, the reason some councilors make $14,116 more than other council members has to do with the time they were appointed and how long their terms are, Dominique said.
Morell has been on the council since January 2019 and started his second term in 2023, which means his salary is set at the 2023 level, he said. Hitchen and Cruver have been on the council since January 2021 and started their second terms this year. Herrera was appointed in 2022, ran for office and was sworn in for one year in 2023 before he ran again for his current four-year term. Denson started her first term in 2023. Ayala started her first term in 2025 and Yambe was appointed in 2025 and starts a new term in 2026, Dominique said.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
