Lewis County commissioners deliberate during a meeting July 2.
Monday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting featured a resolution that officially appointed a group of 10 citizens who have expressed interest in serving on a salary commission entrusted with the task of reviewing the annual incomes of county elected officials.
Lewis County Commissioners Edna Fund and Gary Stamper welcomed members Eric Carlson, Bob Berg and Martha Hunt, who individually stepped up to the podium and introduced themselves to the audience.
The other seven members serving on the commission include: Kelly Doege, Rick Kuykendall, Cindy Tahl, Sheri Belenski, Brandon Campbell, Kelly Bell and Matthew Brock.
As explained during the Board of County Commissioners’ Oct. 1 Citizens Budget Committee session, the group will meet separately and independently to provide a recommendation on salaries.
All of the participants, noted county Budget Manager Becky Butler, possess a business management background, which will help them determine the outcome of the salaries in question, which haven’t been increased since 2014.
At that same conference, Fund weighed in on the salary commission’s duties by stating: “We believe that a salary commission was a better way to approach it. So take us out of it.”
Fund’s salary, as well as those of her fellow county commissioners (Stamper and Bobby Jackson), will also be examined by the salary commission.
What’s more, Monday’s meeting also saw Fund and Stamper endorse a resolution to approve a state-mandated salary adjustment for the Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer.
