Salary Commission

As authorized by RCW 35.21.015, in 2005 the City of Kirkland established a Salary Commission to set the salaries of the Mayor and City Council Members. The Salary Commission is made up of three community members who are appointed for staggered terms by the Mayor with the approval of the City Council


Next Salary Commission Meeting 

Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 5:00 PM

Meeting Packet Materials: Full Packet Here(PDF, 1MB)

Join Zoom Meeting: https://kirklandwa-gov.zoom.us/j/89285408816?pwd=OEF4bDgwS3dTV2Y0ZzRrdHlMYUVGUT09

Meeting ID: 892 8540 8816

Passcode:121764

Public comment may be given at the meeting or may be submitted in writing to: Salary Commission c/o City Attorney’s Office at 123 Fifth Avenue, Kirkland, WA 98033 or email kraymond@kirklandwa.gov prior to the next meeting.

The Salary Commission meets at least once a year, usually during the months of August or September. Meetings start at 5:00 PM.

  Past Meeting Recordings 

Meet the Salary Commissioners

Rachel Pittman (term expires 3/31/24)

Rachel Pittman, Salary Board Member
Rachel Pittman

Rachel Pittman joined the Salary Commission in April 2022. A recent resident of Kirkland (since 2020), Rachel is excited to participate on the board and contribute to her local community. Rachel's background is in accounting and auditing, with 10 years of experience in auditing and consulting. Her most recent experience was as a Senior Manager at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and currently in a VP Audit role at a large financial services firm. Rachel aims to use this experience, along with her passion for financial transparency and reporting integrity to her role on the Salary Commission. Rachel graduated from Southern Oregon University with a B.S. in Accounting in 2012. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys reading, playing tennis, and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest!

Peter Merz (term expires 3/31/23)

Pete-Merz.jpg

Pete Merz

Pete Merz joined the Salary Commission in June 2020.  A resident of Kirkland since 1998, Pete is grateful to have the opportunity to serve the City of Kirkland to promote transparency and help ensure our compensation structure for the city’s leadership is fair, competitive, and continues to attract the outstanding talent our city has benefited from over the years. Pete’s background is in corporate finance and includes employment with IBM Corporation for over 40 years.  During that career Pete have served in a variety of geography and subsidiary managerial and executive CFO roles, including 14 years assigned overseas in Asia.  Pete hopes to use that experience to serve and provide value to this wonderful community that he feels fortunate to raise his family in.  Pete’s schooling includes graduating with a B.S. in Business in 1980 from SUNY Fredonia and in 1983 receiving an MBA from Pace University in NYC.  During Pete’s free time he’s involved with Scouts, BSA and gets his whistle out as a soccer referee covering both high school and club soccer programs in King County.

 

 

Lauren Hall-Stigerts (term expires 3/31/2025)

Lauren Hall-Stigerts, Salary Commission
Lauren Hall-Stigerts

Lauren Hall-Stigerts grew up in Redmond and since 2006 has made Kirkland her home. After receiving her B.A. in Business Administration with a minor in Society, Ethics, and Human Behavior from the University of Washington in 2007; Lauren started her career as an in-house marketer for Seattle software companies. She then transitioned to running an independent software marketing consultancy with an emphasis on digital gaming software. She is on sabbatical raising her two young children while advocating for a vibrant, equitable, and liveable Kirkland. Lauren is honored to serve the people of Kirkland in her role as a Salary Commissioner since March 2022 and is utilizing her background in market research to support the next generation of city council candidates. She enjoys playing the clarinet and saxophone in local bands, appreciating traditional tea, and playing golf with her family.