After seven years without salary reviews, some Sequim city councilors will receive a raise starting next January with the rest of council seeing an increase in 2024.
Councilors unanimously agreed to the salary increase on March 22 for all seven seats.
The most recent increase in councilor pay was 2014.
Deputy mayor Tom Ferrell said he suggested bringing up the increase “not to enrich myself, and it’ll be two years before I see a nickel of this.”
I realize this small amount of revenue is not an enticement nor should it be an irritant,” he said.
Mayor William Armacost receives $410 per month, deputy mayor Ferrell $330 per month and other city councilors $250 per month.
The new increase will raise salaries starting in 2022 for council positions 3-5 (currently Mike Pence, Rachel Anderson and Brandon Janisse), and the remainder of seats in 2024 (currently Armacost position No. 1, Sarah Kincaid No. 2, Keith Larkin No. 6 and Ferrell No. 7).
Salaries will increase to $565 for mayor, $450 for deputy mayor and $350 for other councilors.
Compensation will also be reviewed every four years and allow for councilors to donate some or all of their salary back to the city.
City attorney Kristina Nelson-Gross said even though five positions are up for election in November, not all automatically receive pay increases.
“(The new rates go into effect) when their terms expire,” she said.
Nelson-Gross added that Washington state’s constitution prohibits elected officials from giving themselves raises.
“Salary is attached to terms and not sitting officials,” she said. “Hopefully that alleviates some concerns from the public.”
Connie Anderson, Sequim’s deputy administrative services director, shared options for comparing Sequim’s council salaries to neighboring cities and similarly-sized cities.
Some councilors said they preferred similarly-sized cities because neighboring cities may not be comparable in population and revenue.
EDC contract approved
Sequim’s city councilors unanimously agreed on March 22 to extend Sequim’s contract with the Clallam County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) for $20,000 a year through 2023.
Barry Berezowsky, Sequim director of community development, said city staff intended to propose a renewal of the contract by the end of 2020 but were unable “pull the pieces together” in time.
He said the EDC has assisted Sequim and other county agencies with a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and that some previous “deliverables,” included attracting businesses into the Sequim Opportunity Zones by U.S. Highway 101, marketing new businesses and supporting remote work opportunities within the city.
EDC executive director Colleen McAleer said that the EDC’s annual funding is $355,000 from business memberships and local contracts, with the city’s contract making up 5.6 percent of the budget.
Some of the EDC’s work plans, McAleer said, would continue to include providing essential information for businesses about COVID-19, marketing the city, and providing business retention and expansion services.
Both Ferrell and Larkin said the contract is a bargain while Armacost said the EDC has “been a lifeline for so many businesses during the shut down with very little help.”
“Kudos to the team,” Armacost said. “They’ve truly helped a huge number of businesses to survive and now I want to see them move in that category to thrive.”
Janisse said he’s been critical of the EDC in the past, but feels the work they’ve done through COVID has been great.
“You couldn’t have changed my mind any more,” he said.
The EDC agreed upon quarterly reports starting April 15.
For more information on the EDC, visit clallam.org.
Read the city/EDC contract here.
