Council president proposes review of elected-official pay; staff to return with regional benchmarks

Council President Ms. Bowers opened a preliminary discussion Feb. 10, 2025, on reviewing elected‑official compensation. She asked council for feedback on three items: separate ordinances for mayor, city attorney and council compensation; an effective date mindful of staggered terms; and benchmarking for amounts.

Bowers said the city has not adjusted elected‑official salaries in over a decade and noted council compensation currently falls below the threshold for Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) health insurance credit. She proposed ordinances that would take effect at the start of subsequent terms so current officeholders would not set their own pay. "I think it's important to fairly compensate people who wanna serve the public," Bowers said, and to ensure future council members could qualify for OPERS health credit.

Council members and staff discussed effective dates. Ethics guidance was raised by Ms. Powers, who advised that salaries should be set before filing deadlines so candidates have notice; she observed that ward filing deadlines in the city occur later in the year and that adoption in the first quarter could still make a 2026 effective date possible for ward seats. Council Member Roth and others said they want to review regional comparable data and city size metrics before drafting ordinances.

Bowers said she will return to committee with compiled regional and peer benchmarks and recommended bringing the item back to committee in roughly two weeks, then advancing to first reading in March if council directs. Council did not take a formal vote in committee; members requested the staff data include population and comparable city metrics.

Council also noted past discussions about compensation and asked that the clerk’s office provide comparative data before advancing any ordinance.