Richfield's mayor and City Council members are expected to get their first pay increase in 17 years, but Mayor Paul Lyman won't be a part of it.
Lyman proposed the increase but pledged not to put it into effect until he is no longer in office. The increase would be effective Jan. 1, but the mayor won't seek re-election and will leave office Dec. 31.Lyman's proposed budget for the next fiscal year calls for an increase in the mayor's salary from $270 to $500 per month and City Council members from $264 to $400 per month.
The city manager, Woody Farnsworth, and the city staff take care of the day-to-day operation of city government so elected officials don't get full-time salaries.
The proposed $2.6 million budget is a conservative one, officials conclude, but it also includes a 3 percent cost-of-living increase for city employees. It reflects only a 2 percent revenue increase although revenues increased by 5.06 percent in the fiscal year that will end June 30.
Lyman said officials don't know what effect a major Main Street reconstruction project will have on city revenues. Much of the city's income is from sales taxes.
The 1997 Utah Legislature passed laws that will affect the city's budget, Lyman noted. The Utah Tax Commission will collect retail receipt fees for the city beginning Jan. 1, and the city's revenue is expected to increase from about $138,000 to $278,000 from higher gasoline taxes and a change in the distribution formula.