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Politicos agree on compensation package

Patrick Parkinson, Of the Record staff

Summit County councilpersons who voters elect in November will start off earning annual salaries of $29,408 plus benefits. The total compensation package is worth $45,259.

The Summit County Commission considered a salary range for new councilpersons between $29,408 and $35,748. Voters chose to change the current three-person County Commission to a five-member county council with an executive manager in 2006.

"The $29,000 number with benefits would be revenue neutral," Summit County Commissioner Bob Richer said. "The $35,000 number with benefits would be an increase of $21,000."

The Summit County Commission will disband this year after voters elect five people to serve on the new County Council. The filing window to run for office is open March 7-17.

County commissioners currently earn annual salaries of $59,580 with benefits worth $15,850, which totals $226,292.

"When it was put on the ballot, it was going to be revenue neutral, and I still think it should remain revenue neutral," Summit County Commissioner Ken Woolstenhulme said about the change to the form of government. "If they want to raise [the salaries] higher than that, then they’ve got to have a public hearing to do it."

The Summit County Commission expects to budget $226,293 for councilperson salaries in 2008.

Meanwhile, county officials must also budget for a county manager to begin overseeing the executive branch of the new government next year.

The new executive’s annual salary could be $125,000, according to Richer.

Commissioners, who are currently in charge of legislative and executive duties in the county, will have some of their power stripped when the manager is hired in 2009.

The filing window to run for one of the five council seats is open March 7-17.

For more information, call Summit County Clerk Kent Jones. From the West Side his number is 615-3203. From North Summit, the number is 336-3203. People in South Summit can call 783-4451, extension 3203. Additional information is available on the County Clerk’s section of Summit County’s Web site, http://www.summitcounty.org/clerk/elections.html.


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