Is a council raise in order?
In June, Councilman Robbie Perkins asked council to re-examine the mayor's salary and other benefits.
This prompted his fellow council members to complain that they were woefully underpaid -- much less than other big North Carolina cities. Perhaps a pay raise is in order for everyone on council?
Well, we here at Scoop made a few phone calls, just for comparison sake. It looks like Greensboro is about on par with other Triad cities. Greensboro City Council earns slightly more than councils in Winston-Salem and High Point.
When it comes to the cities that are about the same size as Greensboro (North Carolina's 3rd largest city), local council members earn slightly more than council in Raleigh (No. 2 in population size) and a lot less than Durham (No. 4 in population size). Raleigh city council members, it seems, haven't had a pay raise since the first George Bush was in office.
Perkins points out that he is most concerned about the other council benefits -- like insurance through the city and paid staff to help meet council needs -- not salary.
“The set up in the manager’s office doesn't give the mayor or the council enough support in a town that is going from a small town to a big city," Perkins said.
Still, it's something to consider. The raw numbers:
Greensboro salaries
Mayor:$15,000 annually, plus $1,800 for travel expenses
Mayor pro tem:$12,600 annually, plus $1,800 for travel expenses
Council members:$11,400 annually, plus $1,800 for travel expenses
Large North Carolina cities
Raleigh
Mayor: $15,000 annually, plus $1,200 per year for travel expenses
Mayor pro tem: $12,000 annually, plus $1,200 per year for travel expenses
Council members:$10,000 annually, plus $1,200 per year for travel expenses
Durham
Mayor: $22,173 annually, plus a $25,000 expense allowance
Mayor pro tem:$18,835 annually, plus a $5,000 expense allowance
Council members: $18,835 annually, plus a $2,500 expense allowance
Fayetteville
Mayor: $26,944.73 annually, plus $921.36 allowance
Mayor Pro-tem:$15,594.76 annually, plus $921.36 allowance
Council members: $14,731.62 annually, plus $921.36 allowance
Triad cities:
Winston-Salem
Mayor: $12,078 annually, plus a $500 monthly expense stipend
Council members: $9,333 annually, plus a $225 monthly expense stipend
High Point
Mayor: $13,200 annually, plus $250 for expenses
Council members: $9,600 monthly, plus $200 for expenses
Comments (3)
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I don't think a pay raise is necessary but I do think the City Council needs it own staff that is not dominated by the City Manager. At the very least they should have one secretary to see that they are all notified of events and to collect their e-mail which is now screened by Mitch & Co.. (I have this last from a very good source.) BB
Posted on July 29, 2008 9:38 PM
Ah, yes. Council's email is monitored by city staff. A few years ago the mayor got a threat via email that turned out to be legitimate. Because council members don't all monitor their city email regularly, city staff started looking out for them to make sure there are no security issues.
Posted on July 30, 2008 8:08 PM
Some members of our City Council are virtually assured of reelection every two years - for as long as they choose to serve. The notion of a pay raise smells of the beginning of entrenchment and staleness. Council member Perkins is wrong to believe the mayor should receive more salary and benefits. Certainly the mayor needs adequate staff support to help with a busy schedule, but added salary is out of the question. City Council members who feel they are underpaid for serving should consider stepping down and open their seats to citizens willing to serve regardless of compensation considerations. Adequate reward for City Council service comes in the form of re-election for a job well done.
Posted on July 31, 2008 5:45 PM