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Council debate over proposed raises: members urge policy rather than one-off increases
Summary
City Manager included proposed increases for elected officials in the draft budget (10% for council, 15% for mayor pro tem, 20% for mayor). Council members expressed mixed views and discussed adopting a regular COLA or including elected-official pay in the triennial compensation study instead of a standalone raise during a potential tax increase year.
During the FY26–27 budget work session, City Manager Richard White noted the recommended budget includes proposed increases for elected officials: 10% for council members, 15% for the mayor pro tem and 20% for the mayor. He offered to provide exact dollar amounts upon request.
Some council members said a one-off increase in the same year the council considers raising taxes would be poor optics and preferred developing a policy-driven approach—either an annual cost-of-living adjustment or inclusion of council pay in the next compensation study—so elected-official compensation is adjusted systematically rather than by ad hoc decisions.
One member proposed catching up toward median peer-city salaries and then adopting an ongoing COLA; another asked staff to include the council in the next triennial compensation study so all positions can be compared together. Several members said they would not support a sizeable immediate increase in the year taxpayers could face higher rates.
Council did not vote on compensation during the work session and asked staff to consider alternatives for presentation with the budget at the June meeting.
