Meetings Postponed for Committee to Consider City Officials’ Raises

Meetings of the City Council committee to consider raises in the salaries of the office of mayor, Council and other city officials have been postponed.

The Council has announced that the meetings of its Compensation Committee that had been planned for March 18th, 24th and 30th, 2020, “have been postponed until further notice.”

The committee’s purpose comes from a City Charter provision 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 further 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.”

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.

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

The notice of the postponement of the Compensation Committee’s meetings do not state when the rescheduled meetings of the committee will be held.