VALE – Planning director Eric Evans and chief administrator Lorinda DuBois are now the two highest paid Malheur County employees after recent action by the Malheur County Court.
At least for now.
Both county department executives were granted pay boosts by county commissioners at their Oct. 4 meeting.
Evans’ salary is $78,602 a year but he will receive an extra $2,500 a month which will push his annual salary to about $108,000 a year. The pay boost sunsets on June 30, 2025.
County documents show his pay was increased because along with his planner duties, he now also serves as the county environment health director. Evans took over the environment health duties after former director, Craig Geddes, stepped down last year.
The county has recruited to fill the environmental health position for more than a year with no success.
The state requires the county environmental health director be a licensed environmental health specialist, a certification Evans now holds.
Evans said his environmental health role was evolved into more than a “part-time gig.”
“It’s been a year now of me taking over that position. It was getting to the point and time where it was no longer interim. The responsibilities are a lot more than just my planning director position,” he said.
As environmental health director, Evans will oversee operations of the Lytle BoulevardLandfill and supervise Burgess.
“One of the projects I have been pushing forward through environmental health is getting power out to the landfill. That is a big project with lots of reporting to the state,” he said.
His raise was retroactive to Aug. 1.
The county also approved $12,000 extra a year for DuBois, whose annual salary is $93,744. The pay boost will give DuBois a salary of $105,000 a year but only until June 30, 2025.
According to county documents, DuBois got the raise to compensate for handling new complex federal funding programs.
According to county documents, the reporting, “budgeting, account, and management of these funds is extensive and complex. It will require DuBois to perform additional duties and work addition hours.”
Her raise was retroactive to July 1.
Ron Jacobs, Malheur County Commissioner, said the extra money for DuBois was necessary.
“We were either going to have to hire someone else to take care of the money or pay her more money. So that’s what we did,” said Jacobs.
Mendiola said Evans deserved the pay hike because he is in charge of two departments. He also said DuBois faces a big workload as it is and overseeing the federal funding is a big task.
“She has got a lot of stuff on her plate. She puts her name on it (the money) when we get it and she is liable for all of that money. I think its money well spent,” said Mendiola.
Madison Scott, who works for the county building department, and Tatiana Burgess, who is a planning department employee, also received a monthly pay raise of $250 each.
According to county documents, Scott received their pay hike because they recently acquired two Oregon building inspector certificates. The certificates allow them to perform residential building inspections in addition to their duties as building inspector clerk.
Burgess received a pay boost because she will be taking on an increased workload by fulfilling some planning director duties.
News tip? Contact reporter Pat Caldwell at [email protected]
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