Thurston County’s Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials, also known as the salary commission, voted Monday, Oct. 20, to retain current salaries for the Thurston County Board of Commissioners in 2026.
The salary commission is the volunteer citizen advisory group that decides on salaries and wage increases for many of the county’s elected officials, including the five-member Board of County Commissioners.
Members acknowledged that an April 29 letter in which the board asked to skip salary increases this year was a factor in their decision.
As early indicators of a possible budget deficit began to emerge in October 2024, commissioners took proactive steps in an effort to eliminate the need for budget reductions. Their first action was to address potential salary increases for themselves, and by April, they submitted a letter asking to forgo increases.
“Departments are preparing for potential reductions in staffing and services,” the letter stated. “These are not easy conversations, and the financial challenges ahead will require careful stewardship, collaboration and shared sacrifice across the organization.”
Officials say Monday’s salary commission announcement was a welcome relief.
“We started 2025 facing a $36 million gap between 2026 revenues and expenses. Thanks to tough decisions and hard work by officials, directors and staff, that’s now down to $9.8 million,” Tye Menser, chair of the board, said in a news release. “That means more money for services and less impact to the community.”
The salary commission will begin discussing elected official salaries for 2027 in May of next year. County commissioners received a 6% increase from their 2024 salaries in 2025 by the salary commission at $147,936 a year. The Board of County Commissioners cannot decide its own salaries but can vote on the salaries of other elected county officials.
