Supes to earn slightly-less-crummy salary

Rarely does someone get to vote on their own salary—but on Wednesday, June 7, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors did exactly that when they agreed to raise their yearly compensation to a robust $13,530 from the paltry sum of $13,016. The 3.95 percent boost matched the yearly increase for all County employees.
Although the supes are all (supposedly) part-time, and don’t rely solely on their public-service pay, the current rate still seems awfully low when compared to Loudon County (with a similar growth rate, albeit a much larger population, members make over $22,000 a year). In Roanoke, government officials just voted themselves a salary increase to $15,409.
When asked by a reporter how many hours Albemarle supervisors work weekly, Chair Dennis Rooker guessed that he works at least 20, sometimes more. In addition, “we spend more time outside the meetings,” he pointed out, “talking to constituents, or going to other meetings.” That would put Rooker’s rate at about $13 an hour. As the newest member on the board, David Slutsky has actually tracked his time and said he’s putting in 40 hours per week, putting him at a wage that would make even UVA blush: $6.77 an hour.—Jayson Whitehead