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A spirit that is not afraid

Council increases mayor salary to $45,000 per year

<p>Auburn City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 4, 2019.</p>

Auburn City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 4, 2019.

During Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, the Council discussed increasing both the mayor’s and Council members’ compensations.

The proposed ordinance was to increase the mayor’s salary to $45,000 per year.

This ordinance was ultimately approved with a 6 to 2 vote. Ward 3 Council Member Kelley Griswold and Ward 4 Council Member Bob Parsons opposed, and Anders abstained. This increase will take effect after the next municipal election in 2022.

A long period of discussion and several amendments preceded the vote, however.

Multiple proposals to increase Council member salary were rejected.

Auburn resident Bruno Ulrich brought the Council a list of salaries for similar council-manager governments. He stated that while Auburn’s mayor earns $16,000 per year, Phenix City’s mayor earns $35,000 and Tuskegee’s mayor earns $25,000.

Ulrich also stated that the mayor pro tem typically earns more than the other Council members. Mayor Pro Tem Beth Witten currently earns the same as the rest of the Council members, which is $7,200 per year.

Ward 6 Council member Steven Dixon proposed an amendment to the original ordinance, changing it from $45,000 to $31,360 per year. He also included a cost-of-living adjustment in line with adjustments made to the salaries of other City employees, maxing out at 3% for any given year.

“It has been 32 years since the mayor has received an increase in pay,” Dixon said. “I calculated that by 3%, which ends up being $15,360.”

Dixon’s amendment and an amendment made by Witten to increase salary to $36,000 with no cost-of-living adjustment both failed. 

Parsons and Griswold voiced their constituents’ concerns over the mayor’s compensation increase. Griswold said other public servants, such as first responders and teachers, would end up making less than the mayor with the salary increase to $45,000.

“There are many people who probably would like to be sitting in this chamber tonight watching this but are working a second job,” Parsons said. “Therefore, [they are] priced out of the luxury of representation.”

Parsons did not want to vote on compensation and asked to postpone it for three months. The idea to table the vote on the salary was put to a vote and did not pass.

“I think we sometimes fail to realize the importance of [the mayor’s] position and getting a good, quality candidate to lead the City of Auburn,” said Ward 8 Council member Tommy Dawson. “If the Economic Development Director has the owner of a multimillion-dollar company coming in, he needs ... someone who doesn’t have to ask for time off from their job.”

Witten views the mayor’s compensation as a reimbursement of time and resources. She does not consider it a salary.

Mayor Ron Anders shared examples of his responsibilities as mayor. He held 44 meetings in January and 68 in February. He is also on the boards of multiple organizations and is a member of the Big 10 Mayors Conference.

Dixon used a yearly 3% increase to calculate his proposed Council member salary of $10,656.

“There’s no doubt there are people up here who will benefit by this vote,” Griswold said.

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Dawson stated that he would not approve Council member compensation above $10,000. Parsons agreed with Dawson, saying he is uncomfortable with doubling compensation.

Witten amended Dixon’s proposal, changing Council member compensation to $9,600 per year. Dixon then retracted his initial proposal. Witten’s amendment failed in a 5-4 vote.

Dixon wanted to table the resolution, but this idea failed in a vote.

The initial resolution to raise Council member compensation to $14,400 per year also failed in a vote. Council member compensation will remain at $7,200 per year.


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