Phoenix voters to decide if mayor, council deserve first pay raise in nearly 20 years

The Phoenix Mayor and City Council could get their first pay raise since 2006 if voters give the green light this November.

Phoenix voters will be asked to weigh in on Proposition 489, an 18% raise for Mayor Kate Gallego and 25% raise for the councilmembers. The mayor's pay would increase from $88,000 to $103,840 and the council's pay from $61,600 to $77,000.

The pay bump in Phoenix was not requested by the mayor and council but rather by a commission of residents appointed by the council.

The Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected City Officials in Phoenix meets before every mayoral election to consider, and potentially recommend, raises. It last recommended raises in 2005, which voters approved and went into effect in 2006.

The proposed bump would put pay for council members in Phoenix, the nation's fifth largest city, on par with elected officials from Tucson, the state's second largest city. Tucson voters narrowly approved a significant pay raise for their elected officials last November, the first time since 1999.

The bump in Phoenix would make Gallego the highest paid mayor in Arizona, also outpacing the pay of Gov. Katie Hobbs, whose salary is $95,000. State legislators, meanwhile, make $24,000 annually.

What to know: Who is on the Phoenix City Council?

Accounting for inflation, the Phoenix mayor would need to make $139,000 to have the same buying power as the $88,000 salary that took effect in 2006.

Phoenix's area median income for an individual is $65,600.

A spokesperson for Gallego said she the mayor would weigh in on the proposal next week during one of the City Council meetings.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero supported hers, saying low pay kept diverse communities from running for office, hindering representation.

"We've got to make it possible for a single mom of two to serve as a council member or as mayor," Romero told the Arizona Daily Star.

Read the letter: Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected City Officials in Phoenix

Taylor Seely covers Phoenix for The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Reach her at [email protected] or by phone at 480-476-6116.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix mayor, council could get 1st raise in nearly 20 years