County Commissioners Round-Up

DENTON – In a shorter-than-usual County Commissioners meeting on January 13, the Commissioners proclaimed January as Human Trafficking Awareness month, held a second reading and public hearing concerning a salary increase bill, and discussed solar development on Hobbs road.

Carly Palmer, Diane Ambrocio, and Michelle Hudson of For All Seasons, Inc. attended the meeting to receive a proclamation issued by the Commission declaring January Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Palmer said that For All Seasons helps to spread awareness about the danger and prevalence of human trafficking on the Shore, and that their website offers information about the signs of human trafficking and provides a space to report suspected human trafficking activity. “We want people to be aware of this issue in our community,” Palmer said.

There was a second reading and a public hearing on Legislative Bill #2025-015, which increases the annual salary of a County Commissioner. The Commission cannot legally raise their own pay, so this increase will only apply to the next incoming Commission. The current salary is $15,000 for a Commissioner, and $16,000 for the President of the Commission. If the bill is passed, these will go up to $24,000 and $25,000, respectively, for the first year, and then go up by $2,000 increments each year until the salary reaches $30,000 for Commissioners and $31,000 for the President.

Commissioner Larry Porter noted that the salary has not been increased since 2009, and “the job has changed quite a bit since then.” The bill partially reads, “The responsibilities and time commitments of the County Commissioners have significantly increased over time due to expanded administrative, regulatory, and constituent demands…the current compensation is not consistent with comparable jurisdictions or the workload expected of the office.” The Commissioners stressed that they did not choose these numbers randomly. An outside Commission was brought in to assess the current salaries in comparison with the workload and with neighboring County Commissioners, and actually recommended increasing more than what is allowed for in the bill.

No one spoke during the public hearing, and county administration has not received any official input from the community. The bill will now be read a third time on January 27, where it can be amended further by the Commissioners and/or passed into law.

The background of an agreement between Hobbs Road solar developers and the county was briefly discussed at the meeting. Commissioner Porter and Commission President Travis Breeding explained that there are solar panels being installed on the property which was once the Hobbs Road landfill, but that the energy gleaned from these panels will not be sold “to the grid”, rather, they will be part of a Community Solar program. County Administrator Kathleen Freeman said that the energy will be kept in Caroline, and will benefit both the county and the Board of Education. “[That land] can’t be used for anything else,” Commissioner Breeding said, “so it’s a logical place to put it.”