Takoma Park compensation committee recommends outreach, candidate support; no immediate pay increases

The Takoma Park City Council heard an interim report from its Council Compensation Committee Wednesday that urges the city to prioritize outreach and candidate supports rather than raise pay now.

Franca Rofe, a Ward 2 resident and committee member, told the council the group reviewed a charter, municipal comparisons and survey data and is not recommending changes to salary and benefits at this time. “We’re not currently recommending any changes to salary and benefits,” Rofe said, adding the committee plans to continue annual adjustments tied to the employment cost index and to revisit the issue after more resident-survey data are analyzed.

Why it matters: Committee members said the 2020 pay increase was intended to remove a financial barrier to candidacy and that more time and outreach are needed to judge whether that goal has been achieved. The committee stressed that compensation is only one piece of a broader strategy to make service more accessible to renters, younger residents and people who speak languages other than English.

The committee presented baseline figures: the mayor’s salary at $34,108 and council members’ salary at $25,582. Committee members reported that salary and benefits for FY2025 totaled roughly $265,480 — about 0.5% of the city budget.

Key recommendations included increased translation and accessible agenda materials, more visible outreach about candidate eligibility, city-supported templates or modest stipends for council communications, candidate education sessions (including budget and ethics briefing), expanded advertising of scholarship and childcare supports, and options such as childcare stipends or short-term ride-hailing vouchers to reduce barriers for caregivers.

Council members pressed the committee on workload and equity: Kim Martin, who presented survey results, said council members reported an average of about 24 hours of council work per week (median 27.5; range 14–39). “Child care and health benefits seemed to be important to you and that would be the key lever to increase diversity,” Martin said.

Questions about benefits and pensions remained open. Committee members said they discussed whether council members should receive the same health and retirement benefits as staff and acknowledged uncertainty about vesting rules in the state pension system; the clerk agreed to help clarify the record for the final report.

Next steps: The committee will reopen and analyze resident-survey results, provide follow-up on pension/benefit questions and return with a final report that may include more targeted proposals. The mayor thanked the committee for its work, and council members signaled interest in pairing any future pay changes with clear steps to reduce day-to-day workload and improve candidate supports.

The council did not vote on compensation changes at the meeting.