About the Board of Commissioners

Multnomah County Chair

The Chair is elected from the county at large, is the chief executive officer and personnel officer and administers all county programs except those under the elected Sheriff, Auditor, District Attorney and Commissioners. The Chair presides over Board meetings and votes. The Chair executes Board policies, contracts, bonds and other instruments, and prepares the executive budget for submission to the Board.

Multnomah County Board of Commissioners

The Chair and Commissioners are elected to four-year terms on non-partisan ballots. The Commissioners are elected from west, north, central and east geographic districts based on population as established by the Home Rule Charter. The Commissioners conduct all legislative activities of the County, adopt policies, sit as the budget committee, review and amend the executive budget, hold hearings, adopt the County budget; act as liaisons to departments, advisory boards and commissions, make changes in administrative departments; fill vacancies in elective offices and adopt labor agreements.

 The salaries of the Chair and the Commissioners is set by the Auditor appointed five-member Salary Commission composed of qualified citizens with personnel experience.  The Salary Commission recommended fiscal year 2009/2010 annual salary is $136,204 for the Chair and $90,640 for the Commissioners.

Chair Ted Wheeler chose to reduce his annual salary to $113,933 and Commissioners Deborah Kafoury, Jeff Cogen, Judy Shiprack and Diane McKeel chose to retain fiscal year 2008/2009 annual salaries of $88,000.