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Aurora council punts alderman pay proposal to committee after heated debate
Summary
After more than an hour of debate over proposed raises, the Aurora City Council withdrew an immediate amendment and voted to send the ordinance setting alderman pay back to the Committee of the Whole for further discussion and nonbinding review by finance. The measure had drawn questions about process, percentages versus flat ‘bumps,’ and equitable timing for staggered terms.
A proposal to change alderman compensation in Aurora drew extensive debate on Sept. 24 and was sent back to the Committee of the Whole for additional deliberation.
Alderman Arne Bugg (finance committee) proposed a one-time increase that would raise alderman base pay from the current $23,660 to $32,500 for the period beginning June 1, 2027, with a further step to $34,001.02 for June 1, 2028–May 31, 2029; he also asked that pay reviews occur every two years. “We basically got way behind during COVID,” Bugg said, urging a larger initial “bump” to help Aurora catch up to comparable cities.
Several colleagues pushed back on procedure and on the method of calculating raises. “I just think it would be better…if there was a percentage we did that for,” Alderman Autumn Franco said, arguing the council typically ties increases to percentages and that a flat number could complicate future adjustments. Corporation Counsel advised that compensation for elected officials must be set in advance of the next term and that the Local Government Compensation Act requires salaries be set at least 180 days before term commencement.
Mayor Richard Irvin and other members urged following committee process rather than voting the change on the council floor. After Alderman Bugg withdrew his amendment, the council voted to send the item back to the Committee of the Whole so finance can hold a nonbinding discussion and COW can weigh in. Mayor: “So the motion is…we’ll send it back to COW.” The council approved sending the item back by voice vote.
Next steps: the council directed finance and COW to discuss the salary options and return a recommendation; an Oct. deadline was noted for final action if council chooses to set pay before the April elections. The transcript does not record final salary numbers beyond the proposed figures Bugg had offered; any future action would be returned to the council for a formal vote.
