By Khalida Sarwari
The Campbell City Council gave itself a pay raise this month for the first time in four years.
The council voted 4-1 to increase its members’ salary by 5 percent on June 5, with Councilman Jeff Cristina dissenting.
“I knew from day one I wasn’t getting into it for the money, I got into this for the sake of the community,” Cristina said. “Plus, I find it awkward to give myself a raise.”
The latest increase will bring each councilmember’s monthly salary to $619.91, up from $590.39. The salary for all five will jump by about $1,800 a year. The raise will go into effect January 2013.
Council members also receive health care, vision and dental benefits for the duration of their term, as well as a monthly stipend of about $70 to cover gas when they attend committee meetings.
Council salaries may be adjusted up to 5 percent a year based on the city’s population. The council has increased its salary every two years, with the exception of 2006 and 2010.
Vice Mayor Evan Low, who was a member of the council in 2006 and in 2010, said budgetary constraints held the council back from increasing its salary those two years.
“We didn’t think it was appropriate to give the council raises and at the same time we were making cuts and doing hiring freezes,” said Low. “Even though the raise would have been small, they wanted to send a clear message and say it was not appropriate to do at the time.”
Councilman Rich Waterman asked how the process of adjusting the council’s salary could be changed. He said he could have gone either way on the vote.
“I’d like to see a different system for how raises are evaluated,” he said.
Both Waterman and Low agreed the raise was more symbolic than anything, given the time that members of the council devote to their duties. Low said he dedicates anywhere from 25 to 40 hours a week to council assignments.
“It’s considered a part-time job,” he said. “Really it is a full-time job. Essentially, when you add up the hours we put into this work, it’s less than minimum wage.”
He said more than anything, the raise would be necessary to attract future candidates to serve on the council and that at the least, the compensation would help offset costs that come out of councilmembers’ own pockets, such as attending community functions.
Mayor Mike Kotowski said the time was right for a raise because the economy is improving and other city employees are also getting a bump in their salaries.
“The fact of the matter is, you’ve got to do something,” said Kotowski. “You don’t give raises, you’re going to have morale issues later.”
Campbell City Council gives itself a pay raise for the first time in four years
