The Washington County Quorum Court approved an ordinance increasing pay for members of the county planning board from $75 per meeting to $300 per meeting, with a cap of four meetings per month. The ordinance passed following debate about recruitment, regional comparisons and the number of meetings planning board members typically attend.

Justice Massengill moved the ordinance and Justice Rivera Lopez seconded the motion. The court considered an amendment that would have reduced the increase to $125 per meeting; that amendment failed for lack of a second and was not adopted. Several justices cited recruitment challenges and comparison to other class‑7 counties as reasons to raise compensation. “We've heard over and over again how hard it is to recruit people to be on this planning board,” Justice Rio Stafford said, urging the court to offer compensation that would attract qualified candidates.

Dr. Atta, planning staff, explained the planning board’s meeting cadence: the board typically meets on a five‑week cycle with a baseline of about 10 meetings per year and occasional special meetings. The existing ordinance limits planning‑board pay to no more than four meetings per month, a cap that the approved ordinance preserved.

Some justices and public commenters urged clarity about attendance expectations. Sherry Main, a resident, told the court that planning board members should plan calendars around set meeting dates and suggested stronger enforcement of attendance rules where members miss many meetings.

The roll call showed unanimous consent among voting members; the ordinance passed and staff said the change will appear in the county’s payroll and budgeting for 2025. The court discussed that the total annual cost to the county was approximately $23,000 based on the ordinance and meeting caps mentioned earlier in committee.

Action: The court passed ordinance amending ordinance 2025-76 to increase planning board member pay to $300 per meeting, up to four meetings a month.