Community Government

Mayor, council to get pay raises

After a year and a half, Gig Harbor’s mayor and city council members will see a pay raise. 

The city Salary Commission unanimously voted at its Sept. 17 meeting to increase monthly salaries for the mayor and city council members salaries by 5 percent, bringing the mayor’s pay to $2,415 and each council member’s pay to $840. Previously, the mayor made $2,300 per month and council members made $800 per month.

The mayor also receives benefits, including health insurance.

“We assumed a two and a half percent annual [increase in salaries],” Commission Chair Kim Anderson said, synthesizing the commission’s decision-making process after the vote. “These people haven’t seen an increase in a year and a half. They probably won’t realize this money for a few more months. So, we’re accounting for cost of living over multiple annual periods.”

Council pay raises

Commissioners examined a staff report detailing the salaries of mayors (or comparable roles, like city managers) and council members in Gig Harbor and 12 other jurisdictions. They also looked at how much time council members reported spending on city-related duties.

Council members in these jurisdictions received anywhere from $325 per month to more than $1,300 per month. The average salary was $819 and the median salary was $818. This put Gig Harbor council members’ salary just about in the middle.

From a city of Gig Harbor staff report.

Council members told staff that they spend anywhere from 20 to 70 hours per month on city-related duties. Of the five council members, three reported spending at least 50 hours per month working on city-related business. Four reported serving on regional boards or commissions and attending training and conferences. All council members said they regularly prepared for council meetings and study sessions and participated in community events.

“Council members emphasized that many responsibilities are not fully reflected in population-based comparisons,” the report reads. “They cited Gig Harbor’s regional service role, tourism and daytime population, maritime and shoreline issues, environmental and growth management obligations, increased public outreach, regional coordination needs, and the challenge of balancing council service with other employment.”

Mayoral pay raise

To gauge how Gig Harbor’s mayor’s salary stacked up against surrounding jurisdictions, the report narrowed its focus to six jurisdictions. Mayoral salaries in these six cities ranged from $1,000 to more than $10,000, with Gig Harbor ranking fifth of six. The average monthly mayoral salary among these six was $4,819, with a median salary of $2,848.

From a city of Gig Harbor staff report.

Without this narrowed focus, Gig Harbor’s mayor’s salary came in eighth amongst the 13 jurisdictions. It also fell below the average — $4,116 per month — and the median, $2,500 per month.

Commissioners also noted that the role of mayor is effectively a part-time job.

City’s financial outlook

Commissioners also considered the financial health of the city.

City Clerk Tiffany Aliment told commissioners that while the city is not looking to cut costs anywhere, and was not looking at layoffs or furloughs, “from my understanding it’s going to be pretty stretched … it’s just making every dollar stretch.”