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Committee backs charter amendment to set mayor and commissioner pay at 75% of Volusia County levels
Summary
After lengthy debate about data and optics, the committee voted to recommend amending the charter so mayor and commissioner salaries would be set at 75% of comparable Volusia County positions; staff will return with comparative city data and budget figures for the largest eight cities.
The Charter Review Committee voted to recommend a change to section 2.11 of the charter so that the mayor’s and commissioners’ salaries would be reset to 75% of the Volusia County equivalents and then reflected in future adjustments rather than leaving the figure to an annual ordinance set by the commission.
Discussion: Committee members spent more than an hour reviewing salary data, noting that some information provided earlier by a facilitator from the League of Cities was outdated. Proponents argued the current pay (described in discussion as 50% of the county figure) left the city unable to attract qualified candidates and that a ‘‘true up’’ was overdue. One public commenter, Randy Herman, had urged the committee to consider holding mayoral elections in presidential years to improve turnout if term and timing changes were adopted.
A motion was made to amend the charter so the mayor’s pay would equal 75% of the county chair’s salary and commissioners would receive 75% of county council members’ pay. The motion specified that the change be placed in the charter (meaning it would go to the electorate as a charter amendment). Committee members discussed whether to include CPI adjustments and whether to make the 75% a one‑time true up or an ongoing formula tied to county adjustments; the motion as voted set the 75% figure without an automatic CPI in the committee floor motion (staff will return with proposed final wording).
Vote and next steps: The clerk called the roll and the motion passed by majority. Several members who voted in favor nonetheless asked staff to return with comparative compensation and budget data for the eight largest Volusia County cities (population and budget) and a projection of the local fiscal impact. The committee discussed public perception and recognized that a 50% increase to existing pay would be notable to voters; staff was asked to prepare transparent comparative materials for the commission and the public before the measure goes to the ballot.
What voters will see: The committee’s vote is a recommendation to change charter language; any change must be approved by the commission’s process and, if placed on the ballot, by voters. The committee directed staff to propose ballot wording and to explain whether the proposal will be a single consolidated amendment or several separate questions.
