ASHLAND — Ashland City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to increase the pay for elected officials following the next election.
The next mayor and city council members elected to office will receive pay increases when taking office in January 2022.
The legislation raises the mayor’s salary most significantly between 2021 and 2022. The mayor’s salary increases more than 7 percent, from $91,989.39 in 2021 to $98,500 in 2022. The position’s salary then increases by an additional 1 percent in the three following years, so that in 2025, the city of Ashland’s mayor would make $101,484.65 annually.
“The city is a $65 million company, and we want to compensate our chief executive, whoever that may be in 2022 appropriately for that kind of a job,” said third ward councilman Dennis Miller.
He noted that the mayor’s salary has only increased by 1 percent in recent years. This compares to 2.5 percent increases received by other staff in the city.
First ward councilman Steve Workman and at-large councilman Dan Lawson echoed Miller’s message.
“Let’s focus on the city we are trying to become, not the city we always have been, and to do that will require quality leadership,” Workman said.
Fourth ward councilwoman Angela Woodward noted finding other cities offering “substantial increases” for leadership recently.
“I think especially during the COIVD time, we are seeing the real need to get our leadership where they belong so we continue to have good leadership,” she said.
Second ward councilman Robert Valentine was the only representative to express hesitation.
“(My concern) wasn’t about the pay. It was about first year’s pay. It goes up 7 percent,” Valentine said.
He couldn’t recall increasing pay for other city employees by anymore than 3 percent in the past decade.
However, he ultimately voted in favor of the legislation. Valentine explained that his alternative suggestion — a 2.5 percent increase from 2021 to 2022 and 2 percent increases in subsequent years — would make the mayor’s salary $100,060.29 in 2025.
Though the salary would have increased at a slower pace with his suggestion, the salary in 2025 would differ by minimal, he continued.
The legislation also sets the salary for council members elected in wards two, three and four at $8,665.69 in 2022. This is a 1 percent increase from 2021. One percent increases will also be allowed in the three following years.
Similar legislation has previously past allowing raises for other elected officials, including the finance director, law director and two other city council members.
The ordinance passed on Tuesday evening was introduced at council’s Dec. 1 meeting and was tabled at that time.
“The issue I had with it and the reason we tabled it last time (was that) the first I ever saw it was the Saturday before our meeting when I got our packet and I had never been contacted about any of that,” Valentine said.
