SOAP LAKE — The City of Soap Lake is seeking residents to serve on its newly reactivated Salary Commission, a citizen-led body responsible for reviewing and setting salaries for the city’s elected officials.

The city is encouraging registered voters who live within city limits and are not related to or employed by city officials to apply.

The commission, once seated, will evaluate compensation for the mayor and city council, compare Soap Lake’s pay structure with similar cities, and adopt salary schedules in accordance with state law.

Mayor’s salary

At the May 6 regular city council meeting, the council passed a performance-based salary range for Mayor Peter Sharp, which sets his salary range between $0 and $600 depending on whether he meets seven job requirements. The resolution was passed after City Attorney Julie Norton discovered the mayor had no set salary.

“When the council adopted the ordinance establishing the salary commission, it removed the mayor’s salary completely… and the salary commission was never formed,” Norton said during the meeting. “So, as of the start of the new term, there is no salary associated with the position of the mayor.”

The measure, according to Norton, is meant to be temporary until a salary commission can be appointed to then set the mayor’s wage.

Commission’s role

Members of the Salary Commission will be tasked with reviewing salaries of elected officials, comparing salaries from other cities of similar sizes and structure and setting salary schedules.

Because Mayor Peter Sharp did not respond to multiple requests for comment by Friday afternoon, the Columbia Basin Herald interviewed Mayor Pro Tempore Kayleen Bryson, who said the commission is an important step toward modernizing Soap Lake’s compensation structure.

“We haven’t had a raise on council since 1996,” Bryson said. “I’m not in it for the money… but there are people who might be more incentivized to participate if there was maybe more pay.”

Bryson said she hopes applicants will bring curiosity, integrity and a willingness to learn.

“If it were up to me, it would be people with an awareness of how hard the council and mayor work and what our actual jobs are,” she said. “They’d hopefully have an interest in city government… but they can be educated if they show an earnest desire to learn.”

She added that serving on the commission could help residents feel more connected to their local government.

“The more people understand how things work, the more likely they are to feel enfranchised and be a good citizen for the city of Soap Lake,” Bryson said.

Who can apply and how

Applicants must be a registered voter living within Soap Lake city limits and they must have an interest in public service and good governance. They cannot be a city employee, elected official, or immediate family member of one.

Residents may submit a letter of interest to City Hall addressed to the mayor, or email [email protected] with the subject line: Salary Commission (Last Name), according to the city’s website.

Why it matters

Bryson said establishing the commission is essential for transparency and long-term stability.

Commissioners will review historical pay, evaluate comparable cities and ensure any changes fit within the city’s budget.

“We want to be fair, but we don’t want to bankrupt the community,” she said. “It’s about balance.”

What happens next

The mayor will appoint members, as he sees fit. Then the city council must approve those appointments before the commission can begin its work.