Bothell salary commission agrees preliminarily to peg council pay to 45% of single‑person AMI; schedules Oct. 30 public hearing

Bothell — At its Thursday, Oct. 9, salary commission meeting, members previewed three salary-and-benefits options for City Council and reached a preliminary consensus to recommend that council members’ base pay be set at 45% of the single‑person area median income (AMI), with corresponding adjustments for the deputy mayor and mayor. The commission directed staff to calculate exact dollar amounts and bring a draft resolution and final figures to a public hearing scheduled for Oct. 30.

The recommendation is a shift from ‘‘status quo plus COLA’’ toward indexing compensation to a local income metric. Staff described three options during the meeting: a low option tied to a cost‑of‑living adjustment (about a 2.6% increase), a middle option tied to a selected group of peer cities, and a top option tied to 50% of median household income in Bothell. After debate, commissioners converged on using a percentage of single‑person AMI and landed on 45% as the preliminary proposal.

Why it matters: commissioners said indexing pay to AMI would help lower financial barriers to serving on council and tie compensation to local economic conditions. Commission members repeatedly emphasized that the proposal is preliminary; the commission will take public comment at the Oct. 30 hearing and then vote on a final recommendation to City Council.

Discussion and specifics

Staff presented comparative figures and budget impacts for three options, noting that a low, COLA‑based option would be the least costly and place council pay slightly above the median of neighboring cities. The middle and top options would represent progressively larger budget increases and greater movement toward making council service more financially viable for residents with fewer resources.

On benefits, the commission directed staff to include medical, dental and vision insurance in the recommended package, subject to the plan participation rules in the city’s health plan. Staff explained the enrollment thresholds embedded in the plan document: medical coverage requires 50% participation of council members to be offered; dental and vision require a higher participation threshold (dental referenced as 75% in the meeting). The commission also agreed to include life insurance, to allow ‘‘bring your own phone’’ if it is offered to other city employees, and to continue eligibility for the Washington state public retirement program tied to salary levels. Members agreed to remove the proposed childcare stipend and the low‑income stipend from the package.

Commissioners also agreed — by preliminary consensus, not by formal vote — to recommend a deferred compensation match at a flat 2% rate (the group discussed aligning with the city’s existing phased match schedule but settled on a flat percent for the draft recommendation). Staff said the finance director indicated the city could absorb the budget impact if council endorsed higher compensation, but a larger increase (the highest option discussed) would require a budget amendment and could necessitate tradeoffs such as program reductions or positions if council did not approve an amendment.

Quotes from the meeting

"If you took no action, no need for public hearing," staff said while explaining the ordinance requirement for a public hearing when the commission recommends a change.

Explaining the middle option, staff said it "acknowledges the growing complexity and time demands of being on the city council," a point several members cited in supporting a change that would make serving more accessible.

Next steps and scheduling

The commission instructed staff to prepare a draft resolution and the exact dollar figures that correspond to the chosen 45% of single‑person AMI (staff said they would verify the current AMI source and return with precise numbers). The commission set a public hearing for Oct. 30; staff will add the item to the council packet and publish hearing notice per the ordinance. Commissioners said they expect to deliberate and take a final vote at the public hearing meeting.

The commission emphasized the recommendation is preliminary and can be modified after public comment. Staff will include the draft resolution and computed salary figures in the packet ahead of the Oct. 30 hearing.

Ending

Commission business concluded with the Oct. 30 public hearing date set; staff will circulate the draft resolution and the final salary amounts to the commission before that meeting. The commission did not cast a formal, recorded vote on the recommendation during the Oct. 9 meeting.