Pay Adjustment for Officials at MABRA Events

At the 2026 MABRA annual meeting, member clubs unanimously approved new compensation guidelines for race officials (i.e. commissaires) working in the MABRA region, effective February 1, 2026. The new guidelines ensure the lowest paid officials receive at least the Maryland minimum wage of $15/hour, with pay for other officials also scaled up proportionally. Full details and justification for the policy can be found here.   

Scope: The adjustment applies to all USA Cycling–sanctioned events meeting any of the following criteria: (1) any portion of the event takes place in MABRA’s territory; (2) the event takes place outside MABRA’s territory but officiating assignments are handled by MABRA; (3) the event is part of a MABRA-sponsored or supported series; (4) the event receives any form of MABRA subsidy. 

Guidelines: The new pay structure increases the Full-Day (Between 4 and 9 hour) official’s  fees by $45 to the amounts shown in the following table:  

Full-Day (Between 4 and 9 Hour) Commissaires Fees 

Event Type	Chief Referee	Chief Judge	Other Commissaires
National-Level Events	$245	$185	$160
Other events	$185	$155	$135

This policy does not change USA Cycling’s current rates for half-day  events (less than 4 hours), mileage reimbursement, overtime, site visits, or other standard policies regarding officiating fees and compensation.  For reference, the current USAC fee structure can be found here.

Subsidy to Race Directors: The MABRA Board of Directors will help mitigate the first- and second-year financial impact of the higher pay rate on race directors (directors must request the support): In 2026, it will offset 50% of the total cost increase, by setting a 2026 MABRA reimbursement for full day events of $22.50 per official  per event day. In 2027, it will reimburse 25% of the total cost increase, by setting a 2027 MABRA reimbursement for full day events of $11.25 per official  per event day. Officials already compensated directly by MABRA (e.g., through apprenticeship  programs or other subsidies) should not be included in this reimbursement.