The Redmond Salary Commission is considering substantial raises for its City Council members, who currently make only $18,600 a year. Proposals range from $36,000, just enough to cover the City’s median rent, to $115,000, the living wage for an adult with two kids in King County.
But the pursuit of higher wages has been met with criticism and delays from City staff.
The Mayor of Redmond and her staff said it is “not feasible” to pay City Council members what the salary commission determined to be a living wage. And despite suggesting a shiny new paycheck of up to $220,000 for the Mayor, the City has expressed concern over any big changes to council wages, claiming there is “no additional ongoing funding” in the budget. According to Mayor Angela Birney, that means she would need to lay off an unknown number of workers to accommodate “any large” increase in salary for council. City staff canceled the vote on salaries until they could drum up numbers to prove that point.
The conversation is one of many happening around the state right now. Some salary commissions in western Washington have basically doubled their council members’ salaries. The commissions argue that if cities pay their councils well, then lawmakers will no longer need second jobs or independent wealth to run for office, which could make for a better-focused, more representative legislative body. Even if they can’t score a “living wage,” the ambitious proposal could set the tone for future efforts to raise...
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