Richard Young (right) was elected the new chairman of the Washington County Board of Supervisors and Abe Miller (left) is the new vice chair. Photo by Sally Y. Hart

Wages will increase in the Washington County Courthouse. The compensation board recommended increasing wages for the county attorney and sheriff by five percent and the auditor, treasurer and recorder by three percent. The supervisors cut these figures by a third and approved a 3.35 percent increase for the sheriff and attorney and two percent for the other elected officials. The supervisors’ compensation was also decreased by a third to a two percent increase. All of these were passed unanimously.

Keeping on the line of wages, the supervisors discussed guidelines for county departments as they form their fiscal year budgets. After a work session last week a two percent increase was recommended, but Supervisor Jack Seward suggested an alternative of a raise up to 36 cents to avoid different raises throughout the county. Supervisor Richard Young said an average is nice, but it can’t always work.

With a 4 to 1 vote the supervisors approved a two percent increase that allows the department heads the ability to allocate the funds to employees as they see fit in their own departments.