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Council’s finance committee postpones ordinance to change mayor and alderman salaries, seeks external comps
Summary
The Finance Committee voted Jan. 20, 2025, to postpone action on an ordinance to repeal and replace municipal code section 2.11 (salaries and expense allowance) after members requested comparative salary data and more documentation on proposed increases.
The Finance Committee postponed consideration of an ordinance that would repeal and replace municipal code section 2.11 — the city’s salaries and expense allowance for the mayor and aldermen — to its next meeting after members requested more comparative data and supporting documentation.
Why it matters: the ordinance would have adjusted elected-official compensation using a cost-of-living calculation stretching back to 1993; committee members said they wanted market comparisons and clearer justification before approving changes that would take effect for terms beginning in 2027.
Summary of debate and reasons for postponement:
Alderman Allen presented the ordinance as a historical correction, explaining that salaries and expense allowances were last substantially adjusted decades ago and that the proposed changes were calculated using Social Security cost-of-living adjustments applied to 1993 base figures. Allen said the proposal also removes a two-tier alderman expense category for consistency.
Committee members pressed for additional information. One alderman asked whether staff had compiled comparative compensation figures from similarly sized communities; Allen said he had performed informal comparisons and that the proposed amounts would align with several smaller cities but that online salary data are incomplete for many municipalities.
Several members supported the principle of raising compensation but said they wanted a formal compensation comparison and supporting documentation before final action. A motion to postpone consideration until the next meeting was made and seconded; the committee voted to postpone. Administration agreed to provide the requested comparative data and to prepare a report for the council’s next meeting.
Next steps: the ordinance remains on the committee docket for the next meeting. Administration and staff will compile comparable municipal salary data, provide a written explanation of the cost-of-living methodology used, and present the package for further consideration.
