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Citizens' committee recommends modest two‑year raises for Meridian mayor and council, proposes annual adjustment mechanism
Summary
A citizen compensation committee recommended raising council pay by $1,500 in 2026 and again in 2027 and increasing mayoral pay in two steps; the committee also recommended tying future annual adjustments to the same percentage changes given to city employees and having the committee review market adjustments periodically.
A six‑member, citizen compensation committee recommended July 15 that Meridian raise mayoral and council compensation modestly over the next two years and adopt a predictable, annual adjustment going forward.
Committee members — including Steve Corey, Brad Hoagland, David Ballard, Jessica Perot and others — presented their findings to the City Council, saying the goal is to keep the positions competitive and to smooth out historic “lumpy” increases that left council pay behind the local market.
The committee recommended a two‑step increase for council members: $1,500 in 2026 and $1,500 in 2027, moving council compensation toward $20,000 by 2027. For the mayor, the committee proposed a step approach with increases of approximately $3,500 in 2026 and again in 2027, with a suggested further market review in future cycles. The committee also recommended that beginning in 2028 annual percentage adjustments mirror those given to general city employees to avoid large, irregular increases.
Brad Hoagland and former council member Jessica Perot told council the committee reviewed 25 years of compensation history and compared Meridian with peer cities across Idaho, observing inconsistent past increases that sometimes required larger catch‑up raises later. Hoagland framed modest periodic increases as compensation for the time commitment elected officials make: "Those are the types of things that, you know, that compensation goes to."
Council members raised practical and political questions about timing and optics, including whether increases should proceed while the city pursues a public safety levy on the ballot. Council discussed whether council members could redirect pay, and staff said wages must be paid and individually redirected by recipients; the city does not have a mechanism to withhold or reassign wages pre‑tax. Several council members expressed support for the committee’s approach to smooth future adjustments, while noting the council must still decide whether to accept the committee’s numeric recommendations.
City Attorney/City staff will prepare a draft ordinance reflecting the recommended amounts and the proposed annual adjustment mechanism and publish it for a public hearing on the council’s next available meeting date; council indicated interest in a hearing as soon as the next Tuesday meeting, subject to scheduling.
