Four County Officials In Line For Salary Hikes
Four Spokane County administrators are in line for pay raises today after taking on new duties in the wake of a management shakeup.
County commissioners also are expected to beef up the salary for the human resources director in hopes of attracting better candidates to fill the vacant post.
The commissioners’ meeting will begin at 5 p.m. in the basement of the Public Works Building, just east of the courthouse on West Broadway.
Commissioners are expected to raise the human resources director’s salary from $63,705 to $67,134. The job has been empty since Skip Wright resigned last month under pressure.
“We’re not real satisfied with the caliber of people who applied,” Commissioner Steve Hasson said.
Jim Lindow, who was promoted to the county’s top non-elected position of chief administrative officer at the beginning of the year, will get a raise from $73,816 a year to $75,872. Lindow will earn $83,841 in mid-1997.
The former head of corrections and community services earns less than some of his department heads, Hasson said.
“He’s doing a good job,” the commissioner said. “We’ve thrown the fear of God into him. He’s moving slowly and cautiously but is following charges.”
Public Works Director Dennis Scott, who recently added the planning department to his duties, will earn $79,758 instead of $76,634.
Jim Manson, now director of buildings and planning, will go from $70,396 to $75,872; Mark Holman, assistant director of buildings, will be bumped to $63,705 from $56,228.
A hiring freeze continues except for seasonal positions, such as lifeguards, Hasson said, adding he believes the county work force is top heavy.
“We’re going to cut a lot more of management this year,” Hasson vowed. “It isn’t some Darth Vader design. It’s nothing personal.”
In other action, commissioners will hear opponents of an expansion plan by Hawthorne Manor retirement home, 101 E. Hawthorne.
Owned by Presbyterian Ministries of Seattle, the center wants to nearly double its size by adding a three-story building with 93 units. Money generated from new tenants would help pay for a $6.9 million in renovations, including sewer work, larger rooms and fire sprinklers.
Critics fear traffic congestion and lowered property values.
, DataTimes