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Council adopts ordinance raising elected‑official pay, retains community‑center membership benefit
Summary
Springdale City Council passed Ordinance 42‑2025 to set mayoral and council salaries (effective Dec. 1, 2027) and automatic COLAs tied to state guidance; a motion to strike Section 6 (complimentary community‑center membership) failed and the ordinance passed by a 7‑vote affirmative tally.
The Springdale City Council voted Oct. 15 to adopt Ordinance 42‑2025, which sets compensation for elected officials effective Dec. 1, 2027, and establishes automatic annual cost‑of‑living adjustments tied to Ohio Revised Code §505.24.
Under the ordinance, the mayor’s annual salary will be set at $25,000; city‑council members will receive $9,975 annually; and the president of council will receive $10,575. The ordinance also directs the city administrator to implement the schedule and to ensure elected officials remain eligible for OPERS service credit. Section 6 grants each elected official a complimentary family membership to the Springdale Community Center for the duration of service.
Council member Jacobs moved to strike Section 6, arguing that the membership constituted a “perk” that future council members should pay for themselves. “I’d like to make a motion to strike section 6 from this ordinance,” Jacobs said during the meeting. The motion was seconded and prompted a lengthy debate in which some council members, including Webster, raised concerns about appearance and incentives for candidates, while others — including Mr. Gleaves, Mayor Hawkins and Council member Vanover — said the membership aligns elected officials with city employees, reduces barriers to service and is nominal compared with salary changes.
Legal counsel confirmed that previous committee action removing insurance language was a scrivener’s error and required no separate motion. The motion to strike Section 6 failed when polled by the clerk. The council then polled on the ordinance as presented; the clerk announced that Ordinance 42‑2025 passed with seven affirmative votes. Because the ordinance carried an emergency clause, the city noted it would require five affirmative votes to take effect under the timeline included.
The ordinance includes an automatic annual adjustment provision, applying the same percentage increases as the cost‑of‑living adjustments used for township trustees under Ohio law. City officials said the finance committee and administration will review the budgetary effects during the next budget cycle.
