Mayor, council pay hikes take effect Jan. 1

ThisWeek CW 07/16/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/07/13/mayor-council-pay-hikes-take-effect-jan–1.html

Canal Winchester City Council voted unanimously at a special meeting July 1 to increase the salaries for the mayor and council members effective Jan. 1.

Legislation to increase the salaries of the mayor and council members was introduced in April as part of a normal biannual review of the elected officials pay and benefits.

Every two years, council has the option of reviewing and voting on salary and benefits changes, which then take effect the following year after a new city council and — during mayoral election years such as this year — a new mayor have been elected.

“We have to have this taken care of in odd years with the legislation in place by July 1,” council President Rick Deeds said. “In the past, we’ve sometimes done a singular increase, sometimes a two-step increase and sometimes we’ve left it alone.

“Based on info we had, this was the recommendation: a 3-percent increase for the mayor and council members,” he said.

“If you look at council president, it has been about $500 over what council makes but we thought we’d adjust that to 10 percent, and then we also thought vice president deserved 5 percent over general council with how we’ve reoriented the meetings.”

As approved, the mayor’s salary increased from $85,000 in 2014 to $87,500 this year. It will increase to $90,125 annually beginning Jan. 1, 2016, running through Dec. 31, 2017.

City council members’ salaries increased from $6,200 in 2014 to $6,400 in 2015 and will be set at $6,592 per year from Jan. 1, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2017.

The council president’s salary was set at $6,700 a year in 2014 and $6,900 this year. It will increase to $7,251 annually for the period of Jan. 1, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2017.

The council vice president was paid $6,200 in 2014 and $6,400 in 2015. Starting Jan. 1 and continuing through Dec. 31, 2017, the annual salary for that office will be $6,921.

According to a report from the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, which uses data from 2014, Canal Winchester is in the middle of the pay scale for both council members’ and mayor’s salaries.