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

Summary

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.

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…

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

Summary

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