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Caroline County holds second reading on future commissioners' pay; public hearing draws no commenters
Summary
At a Jan. 13 second reading, commissioners reviewed a Compensation Review Commission recommendation to raise pay for the next elected board and discussed a reduced schedule that would take future commissioners’ pay to $24,000–$26,000 and the president to $25,000–$27,000; no public comment was submitted during the hearing.
Caroline County commissioners held the second reading and public hearing on Legislative Bill 2025-015 on Jan. 13, a measure to amend compensation for the county commissioners and enact a new schedule for the next elected board.
County Attorney Stuart Barrow read the public-notice language, saying the hearing had been advertised and that the schedule allows a third reading on Jan. 27 and an effective date of March 14. Barrow said no written or in-person public comments had been received for the hearing.
The proposal follows a review by the county’s Compensation Review Commission. According to the notice and the commission’s recommendation, the panel studied current allowances and recommended increasing the incoming commissioners’ compensation to $24,000 in the first year and stepping up to $30,000 by the end of the term. During discussion on Jan. 13, commissioners said they would adopt a smaller increase: commissioners would be set at $24,000 in the first year and $26,000 thereafter, while the president’s pay would start at $25,000 and step to $27,000.
“Currently, the commissioners—the president gets $16,000,” the chair noted while outlining the committee recommendation. He added that, “we cannot, by state law, give ourselves a raise,” meaning changes would apply to the next elected board rather than the sitting commissioners.
Commissioner Larry C. Porter said compensation has not meaningfully changed since 2009 and voiced support for a modest update, saying the job has grown in complexity since then.
No members of the public spoke during the hearing. The board has one additional opportunity to amend the bill before a final vote at the Jan. 27 meeting; if enacted on that schedule, the effective date cited in the public notice is March 14.
