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Beachwood committee debates CPI "true up" to restore mayor's 2020 pay; leans toward phased plan
Summary
Committee of the Whole discussed raising the mayor's 2020 salary of $157,500 to a CPI-adjusted $192,723 and weighed three options — an immediate increase in 2026, 7% annual raises for three years, or 5% for four years — with members favoring a phased 7% approach and a reexamination window close to the 2029 mayoral election.
At a Dec. 9 Committee of the Whole meeting, the council’s presiding officer presented a CPI-based calculation to restore the purchasing power of the mayor’s $157,500 salary from January 2020 to October 2024.
Council President said the Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers indicate that “that number in October ’24 looks like a $192,723,” a roughly 22.3% increase. He framed three ways to reach that figure: a direct one-time bump effective Jan. 1, 2026; 7% raises each year for three years then 2.5% annually thereafter; or 5% a year for four years then 2.5% thereafter.
The proposal is intended as a true up for the next mayor, not a midterm pay change. “You can’t change an elected official’s salary midterm,” the Council President said, noting any ordinance would not take effect until the term beginning Jan. 1, 2026, after the next mayoral election.
Members probed the math on the spreadsheet shown at the meeting and discussed policy choices about caps and sunset clauses. One council member said a gradual approach tied to cost of living was the most defensible option for communicating to residents; another said a faster approach would reduce the risk of falling further behind inflation over the term.
Several members expressed concern about optics and political risk if the salary were raised immediately by more than 20%: “I don’t want the headline ‘Beachwood mayor gets 22% pay raise,’” one member said. To address that, members discussed using rounded flat numbers in the ordinance and building a reexamination checkpoint tied to the next mayoral-election cycle (the council discussed reviewing the number in 2028 so ordinance changes could be effective for the term beginning 01/01/2030).
The committee also clarified total compensation questions: staff explained pension and health-benefit pickups (examples discussed in the meeting included a pension pickup calculation and a $600 monthly alternative cash benefit for elected officials who opt out of city health coverage). Members noted comparisons to neighboring municipalities (Solon, Hilliard, New Albany) show variation in how mayoral pay is set, especially where a city-manager model changes role and compensation.
No ordinance was introduced or voted on; members agreed to circulate the spreadsheet and to hold a brief follow-up committee discussion to firm up a recommendation to bring to the full council for the required three readings. The committee president said he prefers the 7%/three-year option with a stop for council review in 2028; other members said they favored a slower 5%/four-year path but could accept a phased true up tied to a reexamination timetable.
Next steps: the administration will share the spreadsheet and show the formula details; the committee plans a follow-up meeting to seek broader consensus before placing any ordinance on a council agenda.
