City considers forming citizens’ committee to review councilors’ pay

City council is considering the creation of a citizens’ review committee that would make recommendations about how much councilors are paid.

At a planning and administration committee meeting on Wednesday, councilors voted in favor of a resolution put forward by Coun. Dan McCreary calling for the formation of a committee.

If the plan receives final approval at an upcoming council meeting, the committee would be made up of five citizen appointees who would “conduct research, review existing policies and practices, and make comparisons with similar-sized peer and neighboring communities.” Their findings would be included in a report with recommendations about the level of compensation, benefits and expenses for the current term of office.

“The task force would have a look at what remuneration for members of council should be,” said McCreary. “It puts many of us in a difficult position having to arbitrate an increase for ourselves.”

He noted there was “some considerable angst” late last year when councilors debated receiving extra pay for serving on the city’s planning committee.

Mayor Kevin Davis said councilors who serve on the planning committee should receive a $250 stipend per meeting because the growing number of planning applications coming into the city required meetings, formerly held one evening a month, be held during the day, sometimes all day.

The mayor felt it unfair to ask part-time councilors, some of whom have full-time jobs, to sit on the committee without being compensated.

Although the resolution was approved, six councilors said they wouldn’t take the stipend.

count. Richard Carpenter said the problem in the past has been that reports on remuneration come forward in the third year of council’s four-year term and “no member of council will approve a pay raise for themselves just before an election year.”

Carpenter said councilors – who are paid just over $36,000 annually (the mayor is paid about $120,500 for full-time work) – are getting raises every year in line with those of city staff members.

“We’ve been getting increases all along,” he said. “I think we’re compensated quite well.”

McCreary said the work of the citizens’ review committee would apply to the next term of council.

“This isn’t about giving ourselves a raise,” he said. “It’s about making this position attractive for people in the community to run for election. It’s about adequate compensation. It’s something we should have been doing consistently and haven’t been.”

count. Linda Hunt said she chaired a citizens’ review committee in 2012 in advance of the 2014 election.

“We did about a year’s worth of work and the recommendations of that committee were turned down by council.”

McCreary’s resolution also calls for a review of all city task forces, standing committees and advisory committees to be conducted by five members of city council and the mayor.

Hunt also received support for her resolution calling for a review of the city’s human resources committee. She feels the committee should be focused more on recruitment, retention, recognition and retirement of city employees, along with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.