Council approves salary increase for future council seats and council president pay raise effective next terms

Urbana City Council voted Tuesday to accept recommendations from the city’s Salary Commission to increase annual pay for councilmembers to $9,500 and for the council president to $10,700, with the increases effective when the next terms begin.

The Salary Commission said the raise is intended to ensure councilmembers can receive a full year of OPERS retirement contributions (12 credits) without recurring annual adjustments. The commission recommended council pay rise effective Jan. 1, 2026, phased through the staggered election cycle so that each seat’s next term would receive the new rate.

During the meeting, a Salary Commission representative outlined the rationale and noted the mayor’s pay would remain unchanged. Several councilmembers supported the change as a relatively small budget impact with a significant effect on retirement-credit eligibility. One councilmember said, "I think it's a good idea because we're not receiving that value of the OPERS," describing the benefit importance to elected officials.

Council members voted on two motions: one to raise councilmember pay to $9,500 and a separate motion to set the council president’s pay at $10,700 (the base $9,500 plus a $1,200 president differential). Both motions passed by roll call vote and will take effect for officials beginning their next respective terms.

The council instructed the clerk and finance staff to implement the new pay schedule and to apply the change according to Ohio constitutional restrictions on in-office pay increases (the increases apply only to newly commencing terms).