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Home My WebLink About2024-070 - Res. Amending Res. 2024-027 Mason County Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials Resolution No. aQ - A RESOLUTION AMENDING RESOLUTION 2024-027 MASON COUNTY CITIZENS' COMMISSION ON SALARIES FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO STAGGER THE SALARY COMMISSION MEMBER TERMS AND SET SALARIES ON AN ANNUAL BASIS WHEREAS, consistent with the provisions of RCW 36.17.024, the Board of Mason County Commissioners created the Mason County Salary Commission; and, WHEREAS, on April 22,2024 the Mason County Salary Commission set the 2025 and 2026 salaries for the County Commissioners and the Assessor,Auditor, Clerk, Coroner,Treasurer and Sheriff; and, WHEREAS, for continuity and efficiency, it has been determined that the terms of the Salary Commission members should be staggered and beginning in 2026(for 2027 salaries)salaries should be set on an annual basis; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Mason County Commissioners to amend Section 2: Terms as follows: SECTION 1: ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MASON COUNTY CITIZENS' COMMISSION ON SALARIES Consistent with the provisions of RCW 36.17.024 there is hereby created a Mason County Citizens' Commission on Salaries (Commission)which shall set the salaries of the County Commissioners and the Assessor, Auditor, Clerk, Coroner, Treasurer and Sheriff based on their study and analysis of the relationship of the salaries to the duties / statement of work for each office and fix the salary for each position. Except as provided in this resolution, the Commission shall be solely responsible for its organization, and shall enjoy the fullest cooperation of all elected officials, departments, and agencies of the County. The Commission will consist of ten(10)members. The composition of the Commission shall be as follows: a. Six of the ten members shall be selected by lot by the County Auditor from among those registered voters eligible to vote at the time persons are selected for appointment to full terms on the Commission under Section 2—Terms. The County Auditor shall select two commission members living in each County Commissioner district. The County Auditor shall establish policies and procedures for conducting the selection by lot. The policies and procedures shall include but not be limited to,those for notifying persons selected for and for providing a new selection from a County Commissioner's district if a person selected from the district declines appointment to the Commission or,if,following the person's appointment,the persons position on the Commission becomes vacant before the end of the person's term of appointment. b. The remaining four.of the ten commission members must be residents of Mason County and shall be appointed by a majority vote of the Board of County Commissioners. The persons selected under this subsection shall have experience in the field of personnel management or a related field. c. Members of the Commission may not include any officer, official, or employee of Mason County whose salary will be studied in the Commission's responsibilities set forth hereinafter, nor any"immediate family member: of such officer, official or employee. "Immediate family member"as used in this subsection means the parents, spouse,siblings, children,or dependent relatives of the 6fficer, official or employee, whether or not living in the household of the officer,official, or employee. SECTION 2: TERMS For the lot-drawn positions,three of the six selected positions shall serve an initial term ending December 31,2026. The remaining three positions shall serve an initial term ending December 31,2027. For the appointed positions,two of the four appointments shall serve an initial term ending December 31,2026. The remaining two positions shall serve an initial term ending December 31,2027. Thereafter, all members shall serve for two years. No person may be appointed to more than two terms. No member of the Commission shall be removed by the Board of County Commissioners during his or her term of office unless for cause of incapacity, incompetence, negligence of duty, or malfeasance, or for a disqualifying change of residence. Removal will require a majority vote of the Board of County Commissioners. SECTION 3: VACANCIES Upon a vacancy in any position on the Commission a successor shall be selected to and appointed to fill the unexpired term in the same manner as the initial appointment and the appointee shall fill the expired term. The selection and appointment shall be concluded within thirty days of the date the position becomes vacant and shall be conducted in the same manner as for the original appointment. SECTION 4: OFFICERS The Commission shall elect a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and such other officers as deemed necessary. The Chair or his or her designee shall preside over all meetings and shall be a voting member of the Commission. SECTION 5: RULES REGULATIONS AND ASSISTANCE The Commission shall be subject to the provisions of the Open Meetings Act Chapter 42.30 RCW. The Commission shall meet annually;however,the Commission may meet as frequently as it deems necessary. It shall keep minutes of all meetings and shall further adopt bylaws for the transaction of business. The setting of salaries shall be by an affirmative vote of not less than seven members. The Auditor's Office staff working with the Human Resources Director of the County shall assist the Commission by providing information and other such assistance as the Commission requests. SECTION 6: COMPENSATION—EXPENSES The members of the Commission shall serve without compensation and 1 or per diem,however they will be reimbursed for their mileage costs. SECTION 7: POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION a. The Commission shall prepare a schedule of salaries for the Board of Commissioners and other elected officials for the succeeding calendar year. b. The Commission shall set salaries of the County Commissioners and other Elected Officials. Any change in salary shall be filed by the Commission with the County Auditor no later than May 1, 2024, and beginning in 2026, no later than May 1' every year thereafter. The Commission Chair shall sign each salary schedule filed,certifying that the schedules have been prepared and filed in accordance with this resolution, state law, and any rules, if any, of the Commission. Salaries filed shall become effective and incorporated into the county budget without further action of the Board of County Commissioners or the salary commission and become effective January lst of the following calendar year. If the initial determination of salaries, after the Commission is formed, results in an increase in the salary to an elected official, that increase shall take effect immediately upon filing of the salary with the County Auditor payable as follows: 30 days after filing with the County Auditor when no referendum petition is filed; upon a determination by the County Auditor that a referendum petition is insufficient or invalid; upon approval of a vote of the people. All subsequent increases in salary shall take effect on January 1st of the year following the filing with the County Auditor. c. Salary increases established by the Commission shall be effective as to all County Commissioners and Elected Officials regardless of their term in office. d. The action of fixing the salary of the County Commissioners and Elected Officials shall supersede any other provision of county ordinance related to budgets or fixing of salaries. e. Salary decreases established by the Commission shall become effective as to incumbent County Commissioners and Elected Officials at the commencement of their next subsequent terms in office. SECTION 8: REFERENDUM Salary increases and decreases shall be subject to referendum petition by the people of Mason County pursuant to the process detailed in RCW 36.17.024(8)(b)(9)and(10). SECTION 9:SEVERABILITY If any provision of this resolution or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the resolution or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected. DATED this day of 2024. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ATTEST: MASON COUNTY,WASHINGTON. McKenzie SmiVi,Cl k of the Board Ran Neatherlin,Chair APPROVED AS TO FORM: Kevin Shutty,Vic u Tim Whitehead,Chief Deputy Prosecuting �,�a Attorney Sharon Trask,Commissioner