Whether commissioner pay belongs in the city charter
Summary
Should elected officials' pay be locked into the charter or left to ordinance? Commissioners currently earn the salary of the city's lowest-paid position (grade 4) plus $1,800 extra for the mayor, set by a 2004 ordinance. The board deadlocked 2-2 and will revisit May 28.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 3
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed May 28, 2026.
Impact analysis
Commissioner pay is roughly $33-40K plus a $500 monthly auto allowance, and a charter formula (e.g., 75% of county commissioner pay) could push the mayor to about $66K and commissioners to about $41K.
Future commissioners and the mayor would get clearer, population-based pay if the charter approach is eventually adopted.
Taxpayers would fund any pay increase, and critics argue charter-lock removes accountability to voters.
Mentions & discussions (3)
Charter Review Advisory Board - May 28, 2026
The board unanimously decided to keep mayor and commissioner compensation out of the charter, meaning any raise has to be debated and voted on publicly by the commission. Members worried that a charter pay provision would give charter opponents a reason to vote the whole document down.
Charter Review Advisory Board - Apr 23, 2026
Should elected officials' pay be locked into the charter or left to ordinance? Commissioners currently earn the salary of the city's lowest-paid position (grade 4) plus $1,800 extra for the mayor, set by a 2004 ordinance. The board deadlocked 2-2 and will revisit May 28.
Public Workshop - Apr 20, 2026
Commissioner Street asked the board to devise a formula — possibly tied to state-set county commission salaries — so the commission doesn't set its own pay. Lucas noted the commission still votes on whatever goes to the ballot.
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