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Council debates stipend increase; motion to eliminate stipend fails, council pauses further action
Summary
After a lengthy debate about accessibility and compensation, motions to eliminate council stipends and to raise them were both rejected; council ultimately voted to take no further action at this meeting and to consider the matter later with more comparative data.
Council held an extended and at times heated debate over whether to keep, raise or eliminate the council and mayor stipends that have stood at $100/month for councilors and $250/month for the mayor since 1998. Proponents argued modest stipends improve accessibility for people without independent means and help cover training and travel expenses; opponents said any change should be referred to voters or deferred given recent rate increases and budget pressure.
A motion to eliminate stipends was proposed and failed; council later voted to take no further action on the subject at this meeting so staff could return with comparables and for the item to be considered at an appropriate time (such as during goal setting or budget deliberations). Multiple councilors emphasized training and travel budgets could be a priority if additional funding were available.
