Just tonight, the Programs & Services Committee voted to forward the following compensation recommendations for discussion to the next full City Council meeting:
- Mayor (currently $125,000) to $155,000
- City Council (currently $9750) to $15,500*
- School Committee (currently $4750) to $7750*
* The P & S Committee agreed early in the meeting not to include changes in health benefits in the discussion of increases in compensation, so there is no change in the health benefits offered to elected officials.
I think this means that the City Council will discuss this on September 16th.
Again, there should be no wage increases until the Council size is reduced.
Until the teachers get a raise, the city council should not be voting themselves one.
Jake, I couldn’t agree more!!!
Even if the teachers settle the city council is too incompetent
to receive a raise. They are overpaid now and with the latest round of votes this week they ought to receive pink slips.
NO ONE should be getting a raise as an elected official until all the contracts are settled. Don’t vote yourself a raise and not the teachers, police and fire. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I hope voters remember this at the voting booth.
I attended the Programs and Services public hearing last evening and expressed support for the raises – but that the city council should not vote for a raise for itself until the union contracts are settled.
@all: The City has not increased the stipend to the City’s Elected officials since 1999!!!! The City Ordinance says that the Council may only vote to increase Elected Official (Mayor, City Council, School Committee) compensation between January 1st and September 30th of an election year. This means that since 1999, at every election year there is something that comes up that makes Councilors squeemish to do the right thing. There is always a contract to settle, there is always a shortfall somewhere, and given this logic one would never increase Elected’s compensation. Hence Newton is the only City in our peer group of like cities that has failed to increase Elected compensation since 1999, except one other that last raised comp in 2005. (That city comp is at the amount Newton would move to)
******For Elected Officials that do not want to accept the increase, they do not have to. Those Elected’s must let Payroll know to keep them at the current level until further notice.
My view is that Newton’s failure to offer fair compensation is discriminatory and only allows for wealthy residents to hold office. Unless you come from a background where this comp matters, you cannot understand these reasons!
James, using that logic the Newton teachers should get everything they are asking for. I hope you use that logic when it comes to advocating for higher teacher/first responders salaries…they are all under paid and deserve it. Good for you.
@James Cote – You fail to mention that Newton has the largest Municipal Council in the Commonwealth. You also fail to mention that Newton offers it’s elected officials health insurance and after 10 years of service life time health benefits and a pension to boot. Councilor Cote, I believe you are fairly compensated. You should be advocating for a smaller Council after all isn’t that the Republican philosophy?
@Peter and @Tom:
I don’t have the numbers handy, but if you take the annual increases since 1999, I’m 100% certain that every employee in Newton, less the Elected and H Grade employees, have kept pace with the CPI.
If you believe the current amount is fair then that’s OK, it’s your opininion on the value of time and money. We all have different ways of determining value.
Again: Elected officials that do not want a comp increase do not have to take the increase. You can hold them to that promise.
@Tom:
You may not know my background: As the son of a retired, since deceased police officer, and being a veteran, with 4 of my brothers being veterans, my sister married to a retired/since deceased police captain, and 4 of my children being veterans, and numerous teachers in our family group, I of course support them. Probably more so than most who have not lived it!
Proud to have been endorsed previously by the 1st responder unions, and the IBEW.
@Jim Cote – It’s a shame you place so much emphasis on achieving a higher level pay grade. Public Service is a calling it’s not about making money. After all Jim, there’s always the private sector where your opportunities are endless. Put some energy level into cutting the size of the Council and then we can discuss pay adjustments.
I applaud Jim Cote for standing up for the city councilors. It’s never popular to vote yourself a raise, but after 20 years it’s time to give the councilors a raise. These people spend a lot of time and effort on our behalf and deserve to get a small raise.
No one is getting rich being a city councilor and certainly the City can afford a small raise to 24 people. Do we really want “volunteers” or only really wealthy people sitting on our city council?
These people make really crucial decisions involving the city. Let’s treat them with some respect.
@Peter: Last comment: In my first Public Service job, as a US Marine, I was paid $283.00 per month.
I thought that was fair because I got to be a Marine. So please get over it, about comments of pay for Public Service.
In my current spare time, I serve on a Homeless Shelter Board in Jamaica Plain, and on Community
Health Center Board in Dorchester. That’s Public Service and serving is compensation enough!