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Council weighs raising part-time council pay; asks staff for options on childcare and training support
Summary
Council reviewed comparative salaries and discussed a proposal to link council pay to one-third of the new part-time mayor's salary (suggested $16,500 annually per council member), and asked staff to return with data and non-compensation options such as childcare or training budget adjustments for current members.
City staff presented a biannual review of council compensation and legal limits on effective dates for salary changes; staff said any change adopted before the next general election would take effect on a later date per the state constitution.
"So basically tonight, we are reviewing, city council salaries," staff said, outlining comparable pay rates across peer cities. One council member proposed tying council compensation to one-third of the new part-time mayor salary (the mayor's part-time salary was approved at $50,000), which would raise a council member's annual pay to $16,500 under the proposal.
Council members debated whether a pay increase could be framed as widening access to public service (for example, by making childcare and time commitments more manageable) and discussed alternatives such as enlarging training and travel budgets or creating expense mechanisms that do not constitute compensation. The council asked staff to bring back additional data, comparable-city reasoning, and options for childcare or expense assistance prior to any decision and moved the topic to the business agenda for next meeting.
