Councilors spar over proposed 15% pay increase as staff receive 4% performance raises

Council members debated a proposed 15% increase to mayoral and council compensation during the May 14 budget workshop. Town Manager Mark provided current figures used in the staff report — the mayor’s current base salary plus meeting stipends totaled about $32,500, and a council member who maximized meeting stipends would receive about $20,300 — and showed how a 15% adjustment would change those totals.

Several councilors said they could not support a 15% increase at this time while regular town employees are receiving a 4% performance‑based raise. “I just have a major problem with voting on a 15% increase on the town council salary, when employees are doing a 4% performance base and not a cost of living,” one councilor said during the workshop.

Others said combining base pay and meeting stipends into a single compensation figure and adjusting it would create administrative consistency and reduce monthly processing burden; supporters noted it had been roughly 12 years since compensation was last adjusted. Multiple alternatives were discussed, including smaller percentage increases (3% or 5%), a flat dollar increase, or splitting the municipal‑code amendment (which changes salary rules) out of the budget ordinance so council can vote separately on the municipal code and the budget line that would hold a placeholder for the amount.

Councilors noted first‑reading action on compensation earlier in the process; a speaker in the workshop referenced a 5–2 vote at first reading but characterized that as part of the ongoing process and asked that the matter be handled transparently and separately from the budget ordinance where appropriate. No final compensation ordinance was adopted at the May 14 workshop; councilors asked staff for cost‑estimates and clearer legal language and directed staff to bring options back for future consideration.