Wouldn’t it be great if your income automatically increased based on the cost of living?
Higher food, gas or electricity prices would sting less. Rent increases might still hurt, but not nearly as much if paychecks rose alongside them.
That is the reality for some in Pennsylvania. State lawmakers and other elected officials see their salaries rise annually based on the Consumer Price Index. So do those elected in Westmoreland County.
But Westmoreland officials may not see that continue.
TribLive has been pushing for years to take elected officials’ pay raises off autopilot. While a percentage point here or there might not seem significant, the economic climate since the pandemic has magnified its impact. Over the past four years, cumulative increases have topped 20%. The 3.25% raise scheduled for 2026 means salaries will have climbed by nearly 25% in just five years.
State lawmakers have done little to respond to repeated calls for change. That is why it is encouraging to see Westmoreland County officials at least acknowledging the problem.
Last week, county commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew voted to accept the scheduled raise. Commissioner Ted Kopas voted against it and said he will return the portion of his increase to the county treasury.
But something important was different this time. Kertes and Chew did not dismiss Kopas’ opposition as a political stunt, as they have in the past. Instead, they spoke openly about revisiting the system.
“We will be doing something,” Kertes said. “I may not agree with Commissioner Kopas about 2.5%, but there will be some type of change.”
There is no plan yet, but there is openness — and that matters. Rather than simply declaring an end to the formula or picking an arbitrary cap, Kertes suggested researching how other counties handle elected officials’ pay.
The downside is obvious. If other counties are doing exactly what Westmoreland is doing, that research may offer little guidance. After all, the county followed the state’s lead, and the formula once served a purpose. In calmer economic times, it prevented officials from quietly granting themselves raises.
But these are not calmer economic times. After a 32.5% tax increase that took effect in 2024 and amid persistent inflation, Westmoreland residents need someone at the table thinking about their financial pressures.
No, the county has not guaranteed reform. But the commissioners are conceding something they long resisted: that the current system deserves scrutiny. A willingness to question the status quo — even if it starts with research — is a step forward.
It is more than the Pennsylvania lawmakers have been willing to entertain. Perhaps it is time for Harrisburg to follow Greensburg’s lead.