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Finance committee votes to refer mayor/safety director salary ordinance to council
Summary
The committee voted unanimously to refer a draft ordinance moving separate salary language back to the mayor and safety director lines (proposing $50,000 for each) to city council, with committee debate about review frequency and requests for comparative data.
The Joint Finance and Finance Advisory Committee on Sept. 9 voted to refer a draft ordinance to city council that would explicitly set the mayor’s and the safety director’s salaries at $50,000 each and return the safety director pay language to its own line item.
Councilwoman Winn Weizer, who sponsored the draft, said the change would restore the historical separation of the two salary lines and "acknowledge the importance of both positions." She argued the adjustment aligns compensation with the full-time responsibilities the combined roles now require and would avoid a situation where only independently wealthy or retired candidates could reasonably serve.
Mayor Micheal Dylan Brennan said he welcomed the review and urged clearer documentation of how any figure is reached. He noted that in recent years some entry-level city employees earn more than the mayor and suggested regular reviews of the mayor’s compensation to avoid a decade-long gap between adjustments. "Both these positions exist in other communities and those communities vote full time salaries of the proposed amount or more," he said.
Opposing a study-funded approach, Councilwoman Sheri Sax said she would not support paying for an outside salary study and cautioned that frequent review tied to election cycles could be politicizing. Debate focused in part on how often to revisit compensation: Weizer proposed an eight-year review clause while Brennan preferred a four-year review; the motion to refer included Weizer’s eight-year review adjustment.
Vice Mayor Michele Weiss moved to refer the draft ordinance to council and Councilwoman Weizer seconded; on roll call, all present voted "aye." No salary change takes effect until council considers and adopts an ordinance.
The committee discussion closed with direction to transmit the draft ordinance to council and to provide the public hearing and deliberation at that venue.
