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Residents press council on proposed mayor pay increase and warn of mounting budget shortfalls
Summary
At the Jan. 6 Beachwood City Council meeting, two residents criticized a proposed mayoral raise and cited city financial data suggesting large projected deficits; council also defended procedural changes to public-comment time limits and announced interviews to fill a council vacancy.
At the Beachwood City Council meeting on Jan. 6, residents used the public-comment period to challenge a proposed 7% annual increase to the mayor’s salary and to press the council on the city’s budget outlook.
Kyle Fishman (24065 Greenlawn) told council he opposed a 7% raise for the mayor and warned of negative publicity if the increase proceeds. “A small town mayor shouldn't be making more than the governor of the nation's 2nd largest state,” Fishman said, adding that the comparison to the Texas governor’s $153,000 salary made the proposed raise “absurd.” He also objected to reducing individual public-comment time limits from five minutes to three, saying the longer allotment was more practical for residents.
Another resident, Matt Hildebrand (25200 Hilltop Drive), framed his remarks around city financial figures he cited from municipal data. “In 2023, across all funds, Beachwood has a surplus of $4,000,000,” Hildebrand said. “Through November 2024 … Beachwood spent more than we received by about $12,400,000. In 2025, we are projected to spend $16,700,000 more than we will receive.” He called those projections “scary numbers” and raised questions about capital-budget choices, including whether side-street lighting projects are included in the 2025 capital plan.
Hildebrand also criticized the process used around the Fairmount Temple property, saying the city appeared to have determined an outcome “three months prior to the community forum and 45 days prior to the resident survey,” which he said undermines resident engagement. He urged continued free access to police body-camera videos for residents and news organizations.
Council President and other members said the shortened individual public-comment limit (from five to three minutes) was adopted to maximize participation while keeping the aggregate public-comment period at 30 minutes. The council also announced it will interview nine applicants to fill the vacancy created when Councilmember Synnenberg left to serve in the Ohio legislature; those interviews were scheduled for the days following the meeting, with the council to select a finalist and vote at an upcoming meeting.
The council did not act on salary or budget measures during the meeting; those remain matters for future agenda items or budget deliberations.
