City to Consider Raises for Mayor, Council, Other Officials

A City Council committee is set to begin a process of considering possible raises in the salaries of the office of mayor, Council and other city officials.

The City Charter provides for a process in which the Council,

shall review, establish and Act upon in even-numbered years the rates of compensation for (1) the members of the succeeding Common Council, (2) the Mayor, (3) the Collector of Taxes, (4) the City and Town Clerk, (5) the Registrars of Voters, (6) the Corporation Counsel, (7) the Clerk of Committees, (8) the Treasurer and (9) other officers, department heads and employees subject to the provisions of the budget contract, collective bargaining agreement or other agreement.

City ordinances provide for the appointment of a Compensation Committee of the Council, to, “undertake a study in order to make a recommendation with respect to a salary adjustment for elected and appointed officials.”

Today, February 26, 2020, the Council is set to consider a resolution appointing Ald. Wilfredo Pabon (R-1) as chair of the Compensation Committee and Ald. Francisco Santiago (D-5) and Ald. Michael Thompson (D-4) as members of the committee.

The Compensation Committee would re report its recommendations back to the full Council, which would refer the recommendations to its Committee on Administration, Finance and Law for further consideration.

The committee is set to meet on March 18th, 24th and 30th, 2020. The meetings are at 7:00pm in the Council Chambers in City Hall.

The city’s department request budget book from this year, provides that the Republican Mayor Erin Stewart’s salary is $87,971, the salary of Tax Collector Cheryl Blogoslawski (R) is listed as $70,772, the salary of City Clerk Mark Bernacki (R) is listed as $68,305 and the salary of the two city registrars of voters, Lucian Pawlak (D) and Peter Gostin (R) are listed as $54,626.

The City Corporation Gennaro Bizzarro, an appointee of Stewart, a part-time position, is listed with a salary of $31,978. Clerk of Committees Matt Malinowski, also a part-time position, is listed with a salary of $11,718. The salary of City Treasurer Ron Jakubowski (D) is listed as $2,500. Members of the City Council have a salary of $3,500, except the President Pro-Tempore, whose salary is $4,500.

Any raises approved for the mayor, Council and other officials would take effect after the next city elections, in 2021.