Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs stand to receive big pay raises this year, the first salary increase the nine-member board has seen in eight years.

The OHA Salary Commission, which acts independently of the trustees, voted unanimously on Wednesday to boost trustees’ annual to $91,560. The chair of the board would make $100,308.

No one testified in opposition to the salary increases, while Trustee Brickwood Galuteria spoke in favor of them.

OHA trustees have been the lowest-paid elected officials in the state. Putting trustees’ pay on par with other elected offices represented “a significant step to encourage future generations of Native Hawaiians to consider public service as a viable career path,” Galuteria said.

In recent OHA board meetings, trustees have questioned whether the pay would apply retroactively. Ian Custino, the commission vice chair, said Wednesday it would not.

“We would support retro pay. We wanted retro pay, but we were told that is outside our scope as a commission,” Custino said.

Trustees are paid from the Native Hawaiian Trust Fund, valued at nearly $600 million. OHA is a semi-autonomous state agency charged with improving the lives of Native Hawaiians.