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Council approves consent agenda, rejects clerk pay increase but declines to reject mayor and council raises
Summary
Council approved a consent agenda (with two items removed) and voted to reject the Election Officers Compensation Commission recommendation for the city clerk’s pay increase; motions to reject raises for the mayor and council failed.
The Lansing City Council approved the consent agenda on March 23, removing items 18 and 19 for later consideration. During resolutions for action, council considered recommendations from the Election Officers Compensation Commission.
A motion to reject the commission’s recommended pay adjustment for the city clerk passed on a voice vote. Subsequent motions to reject recommended raises for the mayor and for the council failed on voice votes; those matters therefore remain subject to the commission’s determinations unless further council action is taken. Councilmembers debating the motions explicitly cited concerns about affordability for constituents and the difficulty for ordinary working people to serve in part‑time elected posts without compensation that allows them to cover living expenses.
Councilmembers discussed the rationale and timing for the votes; no roll‑call tallies were provided in the meeting transcript for these specific items, which were resolved by voice vote. Council also discussed that individual members can elect to donate raises back to the city if they choose to do so.
What's next: Items removed from the consent agenda will return at a future meeting; the city clerk, mayoral and council compensation recommendations remain accessible in council records.
