Council directs staff to draft ordinance for a salary commission to set council pay

The City Council voted to direct staff to draft an ordinance creating an independent salary commission to set council compensation, with staff to return the ordinance for future consideration.

Assistant City Manager AJ Johnson Newton reviewed two models for adjusting council pay and explained that a salary commission would be an independent body empowered to set compensation within state law. Council members discussed commission size, eligibility rules, term lengths and frequency of review. The council coalesced around a five-member commission composed of city residents, with four-year terms tied to the biennial budget cycle, subject to the state law limit of two terms per commissioner. Several members said commission members should not be paid for the role; others emphasized flexibility to serve on other committees.

Council member Nutting moved to direct staff to draft an ordinance establishing a salary commission pursuant to the cited RCW; Council member Simons seconded. The motion passed 6–1 (Council member Harris opposed). The ordinance will be drafted consistent with the framework discussed and returned to the council for formal consideration.

Why it matters: The change would shift the authority to set council compensation from the council to an independent body, altering the process for future pay adjustments and embedding review timing with the budgeting cycle.