[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6536800,"mediaKeyId","3676362-babf56a21726fe964c4ce38730c4d55a","parentId",3676362,"title","Salary Commission approves May 22 minutes; asks staff for comparator PDF, PERS clarification and HR support","audioSeconds",1183,"startMs",40000,"endMs",1223000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3676362-babf56a21726fe964c4ce38730c4d55a&start=40&end=1223","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3676362-babf56a21726fe964c4ce38730c4d55a/thumbnail_40000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6536800/Washington-County/Oregon/Salary-Commission-approves-May-22-minutes-asks-staff-for-comparator-PDF-PERS-clarification-and-HR-support","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6536800-b68a8509448a39ff3dcd6926bec4e302/orig.mp4?Expires=1773555909&Signature=mQMY5AYgsKveXEfk6iTyj-i5jIK-lUIqMmMqg8Wldk5kwcKQUCSy3x1RUBK-f1fpGLtq9ACrqD~Y9~sKOccjh9vavWAcLJ8bb5Lhnr51FSxV9V6fodVNfGIWcNdSx6OFx4xh~nPt4poaMQ39hOL17T7OvUProzXrHo8ymIC3EDuttyGWLaQr~AbSrrBrXEUm9iWgLOC5jg-z5JQCwn1w4NqBRuct4O~XUucP16yDUviinQvtApTJhLXAlctji0hdHUbi6cudzWvx9GbcdnLzLFpSt~lYfNFQueQViGAMMpeec2a1xqfJCL6U6HZ~lNER5zqcP01YRZqwQcamh2hmUQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Washington County","date","2025-06-05T15:04:46Z","article","The Washington County Salary Commission unanimously approved the meeting minutes from May 22 and then turned to administrative items as it continues a multistep review of commissioner compensation.

The commission approved the minutes by voice vote, with all present recorded as \"aye.\" Staff and commission members discussed several follow‑up tasks: adding a candidate's written submission to the public packet, providing the external comparator document in PDF format (several members reported trouble opening the spreadsheet in Google Docs), and obtaining official county median income figures (individual and family) for use as context in the commission’s analysis.

Commission staff said they would add the submission to the packet and send a PDF of the comparators. Staff also said they were researching whether the budget practice this year — a 6 percent PERS pickup for employees instead of a COLA — should be treated as part of compensation calculations for elected officials; staff committed to report back at the next meeting. The commission asked the county’s HR consultant, Mary Rowe, to hold June 5 and June 12 in her calendar so she can attend if needed.

Commissioners organized subcommittee work: internal and external comparator reviews will be handled by smaller teams, which will bring recommendations to the full commission; staff was asked to support subcommittee scheduling and to collect jurisdictional comparator data including circuit court judge pay. The commission confirmed there were no public comments at the meeting.

No salary decisions were made. The commission scheduled follow‑up sessions and directed staff to return with the requested materials and clarifications before the next meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Washington County Salary Commission, 05/29/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Washington County Salary Commission unanimously approved May 22 meeting minutes and directed staff to add candidate materials to the packet, provide external comparator data in PDF, and clarify whether a 6% PERS pickup should be reflected in compensation calculations.","taxTitle","Washington County, Oregon","taxId",2762,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6536805,"Washington County chair tells salary commission role is full time, urges raising commissioner pay to broaden candidate pool",3888,624000,4512000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3676362-babf56a21726fe964c4ce38730c4d55a&start=624&end=4512","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3676362-babf56a21726fe964c4ce38730c4d55a/thumbnail_624000.jpg","/articles/6536805/Washington-County/Oregon/Washington-County-chair-tells-salary-commission-role-is-full-time-urges-raising-commissioner-pay-to-broaden-candidate-pool","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6536805-e74cc1c141e9cb99a28615aeaca7fa07/orig.mp4?Expires=1773555909&Signature=iHqwwtFZRJZV0ERnnMQhSw8tdz5PHi59xfqPGMkrz7XIQXLS~WYK5RsGJu-36fxIyKBXSaKKu2UEgXBwQTJcracJOo93Ut8cdHtqPGQFBSCoJ6iuuul8rPmfGX5VTFeUQGeAoSeOSV8n9gdQUgBQQptJBbRedX6lLl8YS-7RooYlaqwtzxYzatAtAAcUDvwq4ivTJS~sxClp2t63tVTh44wtgukXkcMR6Tbi~LS-VxqeFuNzoOakFcGrwNY2j6uNf8EJ7s~iFWD8ap9gHR8ujfdztILY4-ASOFKUoxrvts59vyp4iy0SFi51AYWYqXu6u63HHaidYn-2~dVCdQxP7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Catherine Harrington, chair of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, told the county’s Salary Commission during a June interview that the workload for county elected officials has increased and that commissioner pay should rise to attract younger, full‑time candidates.

Harrington said the county’s demands — including budget pressure, oversight of Clean Water Services and a growing list of state and regional mandates — mean commissioners must act like executive‑level officials. \"Right now, during this time frame between April and June, I probably average ... 50 to 55 hours a week,\" Harrington said. \"It's a big job during budget time. It's a tremendously big job.\"

She urged the Salary Commission to consider raising district commissioners' pay so candidates would not need another job to serve. \"To me, the district commissioners should be paid that,\" Harrington said, referring to a benchmark tied to judicial pay. She noted that circuit court judges' salaries are now above $185,000 and that the prior formula (the chair at 80 percent of that figure) would have put the chair near $148,000. Harrington said she is primarily concerned with raising district commissioner salaries to make the roles feasible for people in their 30s and 40s.

Harrington described specific duties and examples of the expanding role: she said commissioners effectively oversee three senior positions (the Clean Water Services general manager/CEO, the county CAO and county counsel) and increasingly act as public faces for complex county programs. She cited her own involvement in public safety and workforce development, saying she attends patrol briefings and meets monthly with sheriff’s leadership and serves on Metro committees and the regional waste advisory committee. She also described advocacy on behavioral health and said she supported bringing body‑worn cameras and taser upgrades into the sheriff’s office.

On governance and outside limits, Harrington told the commission that Oregon law constrains compensation for special district board members — \"the Oregon rules for compensation for service district board members is very limited, at most $50 a day,\" she said — and she pointed to Measure 34 (2021) as the ballot measure that moved the county from a prior circuit‑judge‑percent formula to a salary commission process. She also described the county's current budget constraints, the removal of a prior $20,000 annual discretionary fund for commissioners that had been used to support community groups, and the pressure to consider local revenue options such as local option levies.

Harrington said staffing and communications capacity are stretched. She told the Salary Commission she worries that staff assistants who support commissioners are overburdened (in some cases supporting two commissioners) and that the county needs more communications support for public outreach. She urged the commission to keep in mind how pay affects the pool of potential candidates and the county's ability to recruit people who can serve full time.

The interview was part of the Salary Commission's review of comparator data, salary structure and potential recommendations to the board. Harrington answered follow‑up questions about time commitment, committee assignments and the evolving scope of county duties during the session.

Harrington concluded by saying she plans to retire in the near term and stressed she wants to leave the county with governance and compensation structures that can sustain the workload for future commissioners.

The commission did not make a salary decision during the interview; the session continued with administrative matters and scheduling.","Chair Catherine Harrington told the Washington County Salary Commission that the county chair and commissioner roles have expanded in scope and intensity, saying she now averages roughly 50–55 hours a week and supports raising district commissioner pay so candidates would not need outside employment.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Salary Commission approves May 22 minutes; asks staff for comparator PDF, PERS clarification and HR support

Washington County chair tells salary commission role is full time, urges raising commissioner pay to broaden candidate pool