Freeholder Salaries: How Much?

In October 2017, a 52-year-old cyclist “flipped the bird” to President Donald Trump’s motorcade, as it passed her on the roadway after exiting from one of the president’s golf courses in Virginia. The incident was captured by press photographers, and quickly spread across the internet. 
The cyclist, Juli Briskman, posted copies of her moment of fame on social media. Her employer, a federal contractor, said the pictures violated the company’s social media policy. Briskman lost her job.
In the November 2019 elections, Briskman ran for public office, unseating an incumbent county supervisor and gained a seat on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, the governing board for the county in which that same golf course is located. The job pays $66,826 for what is technically a part-time job. Not all Virginia’s 95 counties pay as well.
The story of Briskman’s election and the relatively high level of compensation raised the question of what freeholders earn in Cape May County and across the state.
Freeholder Pay
Cape May County pays freeholders $17,973 a year, with the freeholder director earning an extra $1,000. The county compensation is the fifth lowest in the state. 
The highest pay for freeholders is in Hudson County at $44,807, with the lowest being Burlington County at $10,553. All salary numbers are for 2018.
The median salary for a New Jersey freeholder is $23,956, with the mean salary being $24,935. In almost all cases, the freeholder director receives a modest additional amount, usually in the range of $1,000, with Hudson County paying its director roughly $3,000 more.
In most of the counties, freeholder salaries remain static for long periods. State rules protect against increases passed by a board for itself, delaying the impact of the increases until after an election cycle.
Increases do happen. Between 2017 and 2018, five of the state’s counties received an increase in freeholder compensation.
Decreases can happen as well. Late in 2016, Salem County freeholders had a 20% reduction in their compensation, driven by county voters.
The comparison with Virginia is not an entirely fair one. In Virginia, local governance is primarily located in the counties and independent cities. Virginia has 41 designated independent cities that are not answerable to county governments.  
Still, while the supervisors in Virginia may have more responsibility for things that may fall under municipal control in New Jersey, the job of a supervisor is part-time, with daily administration left to a county executive.
Freeholder Organization
In New Jersey, there are three basic organizational models for the county boards.
In some counties, the freeholder board functions on a commission basis, with individual freeholders assigned the administration of select county departments.
In five of the state’s 21 counties – Atlantic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Mercer – there is a popularly elected county executive, leaving the freeholder board to perform legislative and oversight functions.
In other counties, Cape May County included, a county manager or administrator is hired by the freeholders and charged with day-to-day operations of the county.
Unlike in Virginia, New Jersey freeholders must also share local governance responsibilities with a myriad of municipalities, which may be organized in several different ways.
Freeholder boards vary in size, from the smallest, three members in Warren County, to the largest, nine members, adopted by four of the state’s counties. The most popular board size – five members – is used in nine counties, including Cape May County.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.