Council Votes Down Pay Raise For Itself, Mayor Last Hike For Part-Time Positions Was In 1987; Vote This Time Is 3-2

It’s been 10 years since Coeur d’Alene’s mayor and the rest of its City Council got a pay raise. They won’t get one next year either.

The council voted 3-2 Tuesday night to reject the latest pay raise plan, which would have boosted the mayor’s monthly salary from $800 to $1,200, and their own from $400 to $475.

“I think we’re worth more than what we get, but I don’t think it’s a good time now to consider the raises,” said Councilman Ron Edinger. “Times have changed, and it does take a lot of commitment to be mayor and to be a city councilman. But it’s a commitment you make to your community.”

It’s an election year - the only time the City Council ever considers raising its own pay.

The salary increase for the part-time positions would have gone into effect Jan. 1, benefiting only council members returned to office by voters.

The last time the council upped its pay was in 1987.

Business activist Steve Judy told council members before the vote it was high time they gave themselves a raise.

“As our city moves into the next century, the demands on you people will increase,” said Judy, executive director of Concerned Businesses of North Idaho, representing about 60 area businesses and 8,000 employees.

“Qualified people will be turned away,” Judy said. “What we ask you to do is consider the raises. You should be justly paid for the commitment you make to the public.”

Favoring the pay raises, Councilman Kevin Packard said he was concerned the mayor’s salary was well below average for communities the size of Coeur d’Alene. An “appropriate salary” would help attract good leadership, he said.

Councilwoman Susan Servick agreed. She voted in favor of the proposal, saying she doesn’t favor raising council salaries but supports paying the mayor more because of increased demands on that position.

When it came time to vote, however, Edinger and council members Nancy Sue Wallace and Chris Copstead shot down the proposal.

“I think it’s obvious that the stipend does go far in attracting qualified individuals,” Copstead said. He said council members like Dixie Reed, who was absent from Tuesday’s meeting, and Edinger have been on the council for years, despite the relatively small financial rewards.

Afterward, Judy said he anticipates seeing the issue return every two years until council members finally decide to raise their pay.

“I respect their decision,” he said. “They had a healthy debate. Hopefully, we’ll come into the 21st century. It’s just a matter of time when it’s going to happen.”

, DataTimes