How Much Should The Mayor And Council Be Paid?
Feb 10, 2011 13:15 - 2 Comments
Currently, the annual monetary compensation for the Mayor is $25,750 while Councilmembers receive $20,600. Every two years the Compensation Commission meets to recommend changes to the Mayor and Council’s compensation and they would like to hear from you.
The Compensation Commission met on January 31, 2011 and discussed its mission of recommending possible changes to the salaries of the mayor and council members. But before making a recommendation, the Commission wants to hear residents’ opinions on various aspects of compensating the Mayor and Council including:
- how the Mayor and Council compensation should be determined
- the frequency of Mayor and Council compensation
- who should determine the compensation of the Mayor and Council members
- other matters related in general to the compensation of the Mayor and Council members.
The current Compensation Commission will be making decisions for the Calendar Year 2012 (which includes the tail end of FY 2012) and Calendar Year 2013 (FY 2013 and FY 2014).
When asked about how the decision was made in the past and how people could be involved, Compensation Commission Chairman Tom Moore explained:
Two years ago when the Commission last met, we came to consensus that the mayor and councilmembers’ stipends stood at an appropriate level. We recommended that in future years they increase by the positive change, if any, in the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area CPI for urban consumers, a formula that many neighboring jurisdictions use. We think we’ve arrived at a pretty good method of keeping our officeholders’ compensation current, but we want to hear from anyone who thinks otherwise, or who has questions or comments about our process or results.
The Mayor and Council can decline the recommendation, or part of the recommendation, when the Commission makes its report. They can also decline to fund raises at budget time even though they previously approved the salary increases.
In 2009, the Commission suggested the salaries could be raised for FY 2010, and a bit more in the future. The Mayor and Council turned down the 2010 raise, but approved the raises for the following years. During the FY11 budget process, they declined to fund that year’s salary increases.
The next meetings of the Compensation Commission will be on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at 7 PM and Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 9 AM at City Hall. The meetings are open to the public and you can comment during the meetings.
Residents who would like to submit written comments can email the City Clerk:
[email protected] or by mail to the City Clerk’s Office, Rockville City Hall, 111 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850. Written comments will be accepted until 5 PM on Monday, March 7.
Would you like to be on the Compensation Commission?
One more commissioner is still needed to join Tom Moore, James Coyle, Steve Edwards, and Jim Marrinan, since five members are expected to serve on this appointed panel.
Residents who would like to apply for the open position on the commission can write to the Mayor and Council, c/o City Clerk, Rockville City Hall, 111 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850, or call the City Clerk’s Office at 240-314-8281 for information or to fill out and submit an Expression of Interest form. Forms are available online.
“In 2009, the Commission suggested the salaries could be raised for FY 2010, and a bit more in the future. The Mayor and Council turned down the 2010 raise, but approved the raises for the following years.”
The vote for the approval of the raises was 4-1 with then Mayor Hoffmann, Councilmember Britton, then Councilmember (now Mayor) Marcuccio and then Councilmember Robbins voting to approve the raises.
I was the lone Councilmember voting against any pay raise.
I continue to oppose any pay increases for the Council.
Maybe I am not completely up-to-date, with this issue, but it is my understanding that City workers did not get a pay raise, in 2010. However, I know new City employees, for the same positions, were paid more than City employees who were already City employees. I do not think that was fair to the City employees, who were already City employees or good for morale for them, either, to get paid less than newly-hired City employees for the same positions.
I do not know if City employees got a pay raise, in 2011, but if they did not get a pay raise, in 2011, I do not think the City Council and Mayor should get a pay raise in 2011, either. I write this, not because I agreed with City employees not getting a pay raise in 2010; I think they should have, given some of the other things for which the City spends money. I also think City employees should have gotten or get a pay raise in 2011. However, I do not think it is fair, for the City Council and the Mayor to get pay raises, when they vote for City employees not to get pay raises, the same year(s).