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Budget committee approves 2.7% COLA for most elected officials, votes on market adjustments split
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Summary
After a lengthy Compensation Board briefing, the Clackamas County budget committee approved a 2.7% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) for elected officials other than the Board of County Commissioners and then took separate votes on market adjustments for specific offices, approving several but rejecting or limiting others.
Jennifer Justice, chair of the Compensation Board, and Nina Monroe Smith, classification and compensation manager, presented the board’s recommendations for FY 2026‑27 pay for county elected officials, grounded in a market match analysis across comparable counties and a proposed 2.7% COLA.
The Compensation Board proposed two market‑adjustment approaches (option A to bring pay to market and option B to bring positions to 2.5% below market) and recommended increasing the chair’s add‑to‑pay from 2% to 3% to reflect extra responsibilities. The board also flagged compression concerns in certain offices, including the sheriff’s office, and recommended targeted adjustments.
Budget committee members repeatedly debated fairness, optics and fiscal constraints. Commissioner West and several public members urged restraint; Commissioner Helm and others argued targeted market adjustments are necessary to attract qualified candidates for critical offices. Administrator Gary (named in the transcript as Gary Smith/Schmidt) recommended voting on the COLA first as an administratively simple step and then taking individual votes on market adjustments.
The committee took the following actions during the meeting: - Approved a 2.7% COLA for elected officials other than the Board of County Commissioners (amended motion, passed 8‑1). - Voted not to apply a market adjustment for the County Assessor (motion to make no market increase passed 9‑0; the 2.7% COLA still applies). - Approved a market adjustment for the County Clerk using option B (vote 8‑1). - Approved the Justice of the Peace market adjustment under option B (vote 8‑1). - Voted not to give the proposed 0.5% compression increase to the County Sheriff (motion to decline the 0.5% passed unanimously; the sheriff remains statutoryly required to be paid more than any member of her department). - Reached an alternative 5% market adjustment for the County Treasurer after an initial motion failed; the 5% adjustment passed 9‑0.
A separate motion to raise the chair’s add‑to‑pay from 2% to 3% failed for lack of the six‑vote threshold required by committee rules (motion drew five affirmative votes and failed).
Committee members emphasized the need for transparency to taxpayers and for balancing market competitiveness with fiscal constraints. Administrator Gary previewed the proposed budget and again warned that the county faces structural pressures and that further adjustments may be necessary during the formal budget review process.
