Polk County compensation committee recommends modest pay increases; public raises legal question about treasurer stipend

At a meeting of the Polk County Compensation Committee, members unanimously selected David Johnson as chair and voted to accept a package of recommended changes to elected officials' pay, including a 3% increase for the clerk, assessor and county commissioners and a 4% increase for the sheriff effective July 1, 2025.

The recommendations were presented by Greg Hansen, administrative officer, who said the sheriff's 4% increase includes a qualification: "we need to make sure that his salary is above anyone else in his office." Hansen also recommended raising the district attorney's monthly supplement from $1,600 to $1,700 and making no change to the treasurer's compensation, which he said remains $1,000 per month. Hansen estimated the net fiscal impact on the county general fund at about $22,000 and noted that the West Coast CPI-W was 2.8% in December.

The memorandum presented to the committee also included proposed language clarifying that elected officials' compensation shall include access to the county attorney for personal legal issues arising from their roles; Hansen said that language was requested by Morgan Smith and that it should not be interpreted as additional cash compensation.

During a public-comment period opened by the chair, E. M. Easterly of West Salem raised concerns about the treasurer's stipend and cited a judicial ruling. Easterly said a 2016 Polk County resolution (Resolution 16-03) was ruled by Judge Wiles to be "unlawful, invalid, and unenforceable" and that the ruling found the resolution "conflicts with and therefore [is] preempted by Oregon statutes." Easterly asked whether it was appropriate for the compensation committee to recommend no increase for the treasurer given that ruling.

David Johnson responded that county counsel is aware of Judge Wiles' ruling and that the county will comply with applicable law. After brief additional remarks and no further public comments, a member moved to accept Hansen's recommendations; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The selection of David Johnson as chair and the committee's approval of the recommendations were recorded as unanimous.

The committee packet included a 10-year history of compensation decisions and noted that the compensation committee has existed since 1989. No schedule for further action or referral was specified in the meeting record on how the recommendations will be transmitted to the county budget process.