Committee Recommends Higher Pay for Supervisors

Since 1999, Loudoun County has opened 26 schools. Its government budget has more than tripled, to more than $1 billion. Its debt has risen fourfold.

But as running government in the state's fastest-growing county has grown increasingly costly -- and complicated -- the salaries of its elected officials have stayed the same.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors may change that. The board's five-member finance committee has unanimously recommended making up lost ground by nearly doubling most supervisors' annual salaries, from $22,400 to $41,200. It also recommended increasing the chairman's salary from $40,000 to $58,800 and the vice chairman's from $22,400 to $50,000.

If approved, the raises would not take effect until January 2008, after the next round of county elections in November 2007. The raises would be the first for supervisors since 1999 and the first for the chairman since 1996.

Several supervisors said raises are necessary to compensate officeholders for long hours that make holding a conventional, full-time job almost impossible. They noted that current salaries fall below those in most comparable jurisdictions. Fairfax County, for example, pays its chairman and supervisors $59,000 annually. Prince William pays its chairman $44,153 and its supervisors $38,768.

"Young people, retirees and people like me whose day jobs don't miss them -- that's who can serve," said Supervisor Eugene A. Delgaudio (R-Sterling), who heads Public Advocate, a conservative lobbying organization. "If people want us to go 16 years without a raise, they can retire us next year for voting for this. But I'm not going to punish the next board."

Some on the board, however, are unsure whether they will support the pay increase. Supervisor Jim E. Clem (R-Leesburg) said he is paid enough and noted that he doesn't even spend all the money appropriated for his office staff.

Supervisor Stephen J. Snow (R-Dulles) said he would prefer waiting until after the budget season, in the spring, to see whether the county has enough money to afford the raises. But other supervisors noted that state law requires the raises to be enacted before next year's elections. So they must be included in the upcoming budget if the board is to comply with the law.

In addition to raising the next board's salaries in January 2008, the proposal would increase board salaries 3 percent each January for the following three years.

The proposal also would increase the salaries of members of:

· The Board of Equalization, which hears assessment appeals, from $100 a day to $147 a day.