EDITORIAL: Raise pay for Powell City Council

Posted 7/10/13

But in Powell, we think it’s time the City Council members are paid more, and the very manner in how they are paid should be modified.

Currently, the mayor is paid $13,200 annually. There is no discussion on altering that, although perhaps it …

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EDITORIAL: Raise pay for Powell City Council

Posted

Raise pay for Powell City Council

As an editorial writer, it’s an easy task to bemoan increased pay for public officials.

At a time when many Americans have seen their compensation stagnate or even decline, the idea of elected officials seeking pay raises doesn’t sit well with a lot of people. Calling them out for asking for more money is a simple task.

But in Powell, we think it’s time the City Council members are paid more, and the very manner in how they are paid should be modified.

Currently, the mayor is paid $13,200 annually. There is no discussion on altering that, although perhaps it should be increased. The mayor has heavy responsibilities, and yet is paid like a part-time worker.

What is under discussion by the council, and will be reviewed Monday night, is a proposal to pay the council members for most meetings they attend as city representatives.

In the past, the council members were paid for attending council meetings, both regular and special gatherings, as well as committee meetings and Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM) conferences, among other meetings.

But recently, Mayor Don Hillman and City Attorney Sandra Kitchen studied the city’s ordinance on council compensation and realized the WAM conferences and some other gatherings are not covered. The council members should not be paid for attending them, under this new and apparently accurate reading of the law.

The council members are paid $110 per meeting. That was increased in 2008; prior to that, they were paid $40 per meeting.

With this new understanding of compensation rules, attending a two- or three-day conference would now mean the elected officials would have to use paid leave from their jobs, or just take a hit in the paycheck.

That doesn’t seem one bit fair. The council is right to amend its ordinances to ensure its representatives are fairly compensated for their efforts on behalf of Powell.

But we’d take it step farther. We would stop paying the council per meeting. For one thing, the council members are not making the same money, which seems intrinsically wrong.

If one council member is on five committees, and had several meetings a month, he or she could make a great deal more than a council member who is on one or two committees.

Hillman said he tries to balance it out, but he does favor keeping more experienced officials on committees. However, a mayor with a grudge against a council member could purposefully keep that member’s pay lower than others.

An across-the-board salary seems appropriate. Perhaps $6,000 a year is fair pay; that means each member of the council would be paid $500 per month.

There is little worry that someone would be paid for not working. There is already a rule in place to remove someone from the council if they continually fail to show up for meetings.

In addition to making pay fairer, we think decent compensation might encourage others to run for the council. We would like to see more diversity on the council; currently it is made up exclusively of white men who are primarily middle-aged or seniors.

In Powell’s 104-year history, there has been one female mayor, while 28 men have led the city. The last woman to serve on the council departed almost a decade ago. Like most government boards, older white men, often successful in business or retired, have dominated, and their life experiences and beliefs have shaped how decisions are made.

Perhaps increasing pay would encourage someone who can’t afford to donate a great deal of their time to run for office. It may bring new voices, with new perspectives, to city government. That should be a good thing, in our view.

Paying the council a fair amount can have a positive impact on the community in many ways. Here’s hoping the council takes a closer look at the options it faces, and invests wisely in the men — and hopefully someday soon the women — who set policy for the city.

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