If ever a salary increase for city officials sailed through the approval process, it was the one City Council members gave themselves Tuesday night.
Council members voted to increase their salary by a whopping $1 per month. That's right, an additional $12 per year. Council members now earn $7,512 annually for their service to the city. Provo is the third most populous city in Utah, and eight other cities pay their council members more."No one on this council is overpaid," outgoing Councilman Jim Daley said.
Without the minimal increase, however, incoming council members wouldn't receive the minimum salary necessary to qualify for the state's retirement program.
"It becomes an equity issue," council attorney Michael Thornton said.
The ordinance approved Tuesday includes a clause that increases the salary annually to the minimum amount required by the Utah Public Employees Retirement Act.
Councilman Greg Hudnall and Chairwoman Jane Carlile voted against the salary ordinance. Hudnall gave no reason for his opposing vote. Carlile opposed the clause that provided an automatic annual increase.
"Any increase should require a public hearing," she said.
Daley pointed out that the automatic increase is minimal and is only intended to meet the state requirement. Any other increase would still require a public hearing.
"We're just trying to stay in the very minimum of the state retirement system," he said.
The ordinance also gives the chairman and vice-chairman an extra monthly allowance to cover their extra expenses. The chairman will receive an additional $100 per month, the vice-chairman an extra $75 per month.
"They travel more and have to do more than the rest of us," Councilman Karl Thalman said.
Prior to 1992, the council chairman received an additional $200 per month, but the allowance was removed at that time during a debate over whether to give the vice-chairman an extra allowance.
At a study session two weeks ago, some council members discussed increasing their salaries by $1,000 a year. A draft ordinance that would have provided the $1,000 raise was included with council members' materials Tuesday, but the draft was never discussed and the larger increase was never mentioned. No residents spoke against the increase that was approved.