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Charter board deadlocks on whether to fix commissioner pay in Panama City charter
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Summary
Advisory board members debated whether to put a formula or fixed salaries for mayor and commissioners into the charter. Arguments on scalability, political optics and formulas were aired; the motion to exclude compensation from the charter failed for lack of majority at this meeting.
The Panama City Charter Review Advisory Board debated for more than an hour whether compensation for the mayor and commissioners should be written into the charter or left to ordinance and future elected bodies. Members exchanged arguments about fairness, scalability and political optics but could not forge a majority to change the current approach.
A board member moved "that the compensation does not appear in the charter" and a second was recorded. Proponents of exclusion argued the current ordinance allows flexibility and that compensation is politically sensitive and better handled by the commission and voters. Opponents favored a formula tied to population or staff pay so future compensation would be objective and avoid frequent political fights. As one member argued for a formulaic approach tied to population and percentages, another summarized the majority sentiment: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," (Chair).
The motion to exclude compensation from the charter failed when the board did not reach a majority. Members agreed to revisit the item with additional information and potentially present a narrower option to the commission. The advisory board scheduled further discussion for its next meeting and asked staff to prepare comparative data and possible ballot wording if the commission requests it.
