EVERETT — Starting next year, all of Snohomish County’s elected officials will see a bump in pay.
Approved by the county’s Citizens’ Salary Commission on Elected Officials last month, most elected officials in the county saw raises just below 10%. The one exception is the sheriff, who will see a pay raise of nearly 20%.
Sheriff Susanna Johnson’s annual salary will jump from $184,219 to $219,815.35 in 2025.
The commission meets every two years to adjust the salaries of elected officials. Decisions are based on the “scope, impact and responsibilities of the position, not the individual,” according to a letter from the commission.
But this year, the commission wanted to narrow the gap between what elected officials make and what some of their lower-ranking employees make, according to commission documents.
In Johnson’s case, 10 staff members in the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office make more than her. Undersheriff Doug Jeske is the highest-paid employee in the sheriff’s office, earning just over $235,000 a year. Four captains, four bureau chiefs and one major also make more than the sheriff.
In an initial salary proposal, commissioners pinned the sheriff’s salary at nearly $240,000 a year.
But after a struggle to stomach an almost 30% jump, particularly from Commissioner Joe Wankelman, the commission reversed course and scaled down the sheriff’s salary, according to meeting minutes from April 25.
Other elected officials didn’t ask for raises, but got them anyway.
In a memo to the commission, County Executive Dave Somers reportedly felt he was appropriately compensated in his position. But commissioners opted to increase his salary anyway.
Commissioner Cory Rein noted in the meeting that the county should ensure compensation is high enough to attract prospective candidates to run for the office in the future, according to meeting minutes from April 15.
In 2026, all elected positions will receive a flat raise of 5%.
The median income in Snohomish County is roughly $104,000, according to census data from 2022.
Here are the 2024 and 2025 salaries for the county’s elected officials:
Executive: $210,700 increased to $231,422.45
Council member: $140,763 increased to $151,496.18
Council chair: $154,839 increased to $166,645.80
Sheriff: $184,219 increased to $219,815.35
Prosecutor: $222,064 increased to $238,996.38
Auditor: $155,436 increased to $169,897.85
Clerk, assessor and treasurer: $155,436 increased to $167,288
Jenelle Baumbach: 360-352-8623; jenelle.baumbach@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jenelleclar.
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