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Boulder City Council directs staff to draft ordinance to revise council pay, including $5,000 option and CPI-based COLA
Summary
After a lengthy discussion about recruiting future candidates and political optics, the council voted to direct staff to draft a bill that would include a $5,000 council salary increase, a mayoral increase set 30% higher, and an annual COLA indexed to the CPI (0–3% cap) to take effect upon the next term; staff will include a budget impact analysis when the ordinance returns.
Councilman Walton brought forward a discussion about amending Section 1-5-1 of the municipal code to revisit council compensation and asked the council to consider a cost-of-living adjustment tied to the Consumer Price Index to prevent recurring contentious debates.
"Just that we consider a COLA based on the CPI," Walton said, arguing an indexed, modest adjustment would be less politically polarizing than episodic increases.
Councilmembers debated options, weighing a CPI-indexed COLA against one-time raises. Several members said nine years without change is a long interval and expressed interest in avoiding politicized optics. The council discussed legal limits in the charter (a 2001 initiative restricts benefits outside salary) and the effect on future contract negotiations for city employees.
Mayor (role title) expressed discomfort at voting for a raise for sitting councilmembers but supported the discussion as required by the municipal code, saying the biennial review was mandatory. "It's a mandatory thing that we have to do," the mayor said, emphasizing the council's duty to hold the conversation openly.
After discussion, Walton moved that staff prepare a bill including a $5,000 increase for council salaries, a mayoral increase 30% higher than the council increase, and an annual COLA tied to CPI with a 0–3% range and a 3% cap, effective upon the next elected term. A fellow councilmember seconded the motion and the council voted to direct staff to draft the ordinance.
The motion carried on a voice vote after two councilmembers were recorded as voting "nay"; the city clerk later identified the no votes as Denise Ashurst and Joe Hardy. The motion directs staff to return a draft ordinance and accompanying financial analysis for council consideration — any final increase would require a subsequent council vote when the ordinance is introduced.
Councilmembers and public commenters repeatedly emphasized that the action taken was to draft options and not to immediately raise pay: "We did not vote for the raise. We voted for this to come back when it's fully vetted," the mayor said.
Staff indicated the bill packet returned to council will include the projected budget impact so members can evaluate alternatives before any ordinance or compensation change takes effect.
