Loudoun Supervisors Table Pay Proposal After Divided Debate

By Sophia Clifton

At a business meeting on June 16, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors tabled a proposal to raise future supervisors’ pay after a divided discussion over whether the job has become effectively full time and whether the public had enough notice to weigh in.

The board voted 9-0 to delay action until September, sending the issue back for more outreach and discussion. Under Virginia law, supervisors cannot vote to raise their own pay during the term they are serving, so this proposal would have applied to the 2028-2031 board.

Supervisor Laura TeKrony (D-Little River) introduced the motion and stated that the goal was to tie compensation to Loudoun’s area median income for an individual resident and the county’s cost of living.

“We are not allowed to also say it’s full time. However, this job is full time,” TeKrony said. “We’re a public servant 24/7 … and supervisors should be able to devote their full-time attention and give that full-time commitment.”

TeKrony said the demands on supervisors have grown as Loudoun has expanded, including the county’s role as home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers. She said the proposal also would have created a process for future boards to revisit compensation before each election cycle.

The plan would have set district supervisor pay at $116,300, with the board chair receiving an additional 10%.

But several supervisors said they supported the idea of reviewing compensation while objecting to both the size of the increase and the way the proposal was brought forward.

Chair Phyllis Randall (D-At Large) said, “There’s a lot of numbers being sloshed around. I just want to make sure the numbers are right, ‘cause I’m not quite sure all the numbers are saying the same things to all the people.”

Supervisor Matthew Letourneau (R-Dulles), who backed the board’s last major pay increase in 2019, said that earlier action followed years without adjustments and came after public discussion.

“I’m not comfortable with the amount of increase that this is, and I’m particularly not comfortable from a process standpoint,” Letourneau said. “I understand this is in the packet, but there’s been absolutely no public discussion about this whatsoever.”

“This has not been any kind of community conversation at all… This is just something that’s item 15 in a board packet that, unless you know to go look for it, you wouldn’t know it was even here …”

Letourneau also rejected the idea that supervisors must treat the job as a full-time position, saying that he believes there is an “advantage” to supervisors maintaining outside employment. He argued that elected officials who share the same economic pressures and schedules as constituents may better understand the people they represent.

Supervisor Juli Briskman ((D-Algonkian), one of the proposal’s sponsors along with TeKrony and Supervisor Sylvia Glass (D-Broad Run), said the point was not to redefine the office but to make it more accessible.

“For me, it’s about allowing, perhaps, new voices, to be able to consider public service as a path for their careers,” Briskman said.

She said current pay levels can discourage people who do not have a second household income, personal wealth or the flexibility to hold another job.

“The disparity in the pay can present barriers to entering into public service,” Briskman said.

Glass said compensation tied to area median income could broaden the range of people willing to serve.

“Having supervisors with differing life experiences and backgrounds … can strengthen the board’s ability to make decisions for the best interests of everyone in this county,” Glass said.

Other supervisors said they were open to a raise in principle but not to the size of the proposed jump.

Supervisor Koran Saines (D-Sterling) said higher pay could help attract more candidates, but he said the proposed increase— about 40% in one cycle— was too steep.

“I do support the spirit of doing an increase, but not at these numbers,” Saines said.

Supervisor Caleb Kershner (R-Catoctin) took a different view, saying public office should still involve sacrifice.

“Sometimes being in public service is actually that. It’s being a servant. It’s not being a paid employee,” Kershner said. “I feel like there has to be a level of sacrifice because I don’t do this for the money.”

Chair Randall said she understood the demands of the chair position but was not ready to support the proposal as written.

“I’m not ready to vote for this tonight,” Randall said. “I think we should do more outreach, talk to the public more, do more, get more input.”

TeKrony then moved to table the proposal until the board’s first meeting in September. The motion passed unanimously.