Nogales council sets starting salary for city clerk at $50,000 after debate on equity and comparables

The Mayor and City Council of Nogales voted Wednesday to set the starting salary for the city clerk at $50,000, following extended discussion about comparability with other Arizona cities and the need for consistent hiring practices. Mayor Maldonado moved to set the starting salary at $50,000; the motion carried.

Council members said the decision matters because the city clerk's pay had not been updated in decades and ranges cited from third-party sites and internal payroll data varied widely. "I'd like to suggest a salary of $50,000," Mayor Maldonado said when making the motion. Councilwoman Monter urged consistent treatment of employees, saying the council "need[s] to have some consistency across the board regardless if you're at will or not." Mr. Kramer, identified in the meeting as the city manager, explained the matter had been discussed in executive session and needed public ratification: "This position doesn't fall under the—this is a council-appointed position. It's a council decision. Council had had that discussion in executive session, but because that was an executive session, you need to have that, make that decision in a public meeting so that we can move forward with that, implementing that salary."

Why it matters: Council members framed the pay decision both as an immediate personnel matter for the newly appointed clerk and as a precedent for future hires. Several councillors said Nogales' prior city clerk pay was based on an outdated schedule and that the city may need a broader review of compensation and hiring practices. Council members compared a roughly $46,000–$47,000 average starting salary cited from online services with League of Cities data and internal director pay; speakers noted the analytics used by staff blended national and local sources and may not match League of Cities figures.

Supporting details: Participants raised three recurring points during the discussion: 1) fairness and internal consistency (how past hires with higher qualifications were placed at different points in the range); 2) external comparables (ZipRecruiter, Salary.com and League of Cities figures were mentioned); and 3) training and certification for the new clerk. Councilwoman Perra said she supported $50,000 if the appointee met minimum qualifications, but suggested a lower starting point if those qualifications were not met and a step-up after certification. Mr. Kramer noted the city will arrange one-to-one and program training for the new clerk and said the city intends to replace an older agenda software and provide hands-on training beginning Sept. 17.

Action taken: The council approved the motion to set a $50,000 starting salary for the city clerk. The meeting record shows the motion was made and seconded and that the motion passed; the transcript records verbal ayes and the mayor declaring the motion passed. The transcript does not provide a full, attributed roll-call tally for each council member on the clerk salary motion.

Context and next steps: Speakers said the human resources function is being revamped and that a broader salary schedule review may follow. Council members asked for consistent application of minimum, midpoint and maximum pay rules for future hires; one council member asked that future hiring decisions explicitly document why a new hire is placed at a particular point in a range. Training for the new clerk was described as scheduled and complimentary, including assistance from in-house legal staff and a program planned for Sept. 17.

Ending: The council's salary decision applies to the newly appointed city clerk and sets the starting point used for payroll; council members indicated they expect continued discussion about broader compensation policies during the HR revamp.