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Council adopts 7.5% pay increase for mayor and council, effective Jan. 1, 2026
Summary
After debate, the Minnetonka City Council voted to adopt an ordinance raising mayor and council salaries by 7.5% (option 2b), citing retention and access to diverse candidates; ordinance will take effect after the next municipal election.
On Oct. 20, 2025, the Minnetonka City Council adopted an ordinance setting mayor and council salaries at a 7.5% increase (option 2b), with the salary change effective Jan. 1, 2026 but not taking effect until after the next municipal election as required by state law and the city charter.
Staff background: City staff presented four options for salary adjustments. The ordinance must be adopted before the election but cannot become operative until after the municipal election. Options ranged from no change to a combined COLA/market adjustment; the selected option (2b) raises the mayor’s annual salary to $25,262.50 and council members’ annual salary to $19,350, according to staff figures. The change was incorporated into the city’s preliminary 2026 budget and the staff memo listed the levy and budget impacts for each option.
Council discussion: Council members debated the appropriate increase, raising two recurring themes: (1) keeping increases below the city’s levy growth so the change is fiscally modest, and (2) making council service accessible to people who cannot afford to serve otherwise. Council member Coakley said the increase improves access for people of color and others who cannot afford uncompensated public service: “It takes a significant amount of time to run for office in our city and to serve… this is not a lot of money, but… it makes running for council an option for more people.” Several members said they did not favor leaving salaries unchanged because that would push the burden onto future councils.
Vote and implementation: Council member Foster Bolton moved to adopt option 2b (7.5%); Council member Calvert seconded. The motion passed on a roll call vote (6 yes, 1 no). The ordinance will be effective on Jan. 1, 2026 and will be implemented after the next municipal election in accordance with state law and the city charter.
What the ordinance does not change: Staff emphasized the formal legal limit that salary changes cannot take effect until after the municipal election following adoption. The council discussed peer-city comparisons that staff provided and noted the increase is modest relative to total levy and budget amounts.
Next steps: Staff will finalize ordinance paperwork and incorporate the adopted figures into the 2026 budget documents and levy calculations.
