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Committee approves 4% increases for Yamhill County assessor and clerk, holds most elected pay steady
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Summary
Yamhill County’s compensation committee voted to raise the assessor’s and clerk’s pay by 4% while leaving other elected-official salaries largely unchanged; the committee also directed further study of the treasurer’s duties and a possible restructure.
The Yamhill County Budget and Compensation Committee voted to raise the assessor’s and county clerk’s salaries by 4% and to forward those recommendations to the full board as part of the FY27 budget package.
Patricia Rojas, Yamhill County human resources director, presented the committee with its annual comparables analysis, explaining the staff approach of using a set of counties the county has historically compared to and noting adjustments where counties use different governance models. "Yamhill County consistently is very competitive with our benefit packages, with our time off, with our PERS contributions," Rojas said, describing color-coded tables that showed where Yamhill was above or below peer averages.
Derek, Yamhill County assessor, urged a larger, market-based correction to his pay, arguing the assessor’s office now functions like a department head with added responsibilities including an in-house GIS program. "What I'm asking for is a market adjustment of, I think, it's $22,000 to the base," Derek said, asking the committee to treat the request as a pay‑equity correction rather than a cost‑of‑living adjustment.
Committee members debated between an incremental approach and the assessor’s full market request. After several motions, the committee approved a 4% increase for the assessor. The committee recorded that Commissioners King, Johnson and Starett voted in favor and Anton abstained; the motion carried with the ayes carrying the measure.
The clerk, Carrie, explained operational pressures related to upcoming elections, including ballot-printing and additional security needs at the new building. The committee approved a 4% salary increase for the clerk and added a modest funding line to address immediate operational costs; members asked that recurring needs be tracked and presented case‑by‑case if they require additional funding during the fiscal year.
The committee left the sheriff’s compensation to follow state OAR requirements (which require the sheriff’s pay to exceed the highest-paid subordinate) and made no discretionary change to the sheriff’s base pay. On the treasurer’s position — which several members described as limited in scope and paid on a part‑time basis in the current structure — the committee declined to change pay immediately but voted to recommend a working session and legal analysis to explore whether duties could be reassigned or the role restructured.
The committee's compensation recommendations will be forwarded to the Board of Commissioners as the budget process continues; the budget committee also set the FY27 tentative tax rate and approved several departmental add‑backs in the same session.
