Council (NYC) set to vote on pay raises for city’s elected officials
City Council members with Mayor de Blasio during a budget event in 2015. (William Alatriste/NY City Council)
By Gloria Pazmino 10:20 p.m. | Jan. 28, 2016
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The City Council officially announced late Thursday that it will hold a public hearing and vote next week on legislation to give all of the city’s elected officials significant salary increases for the first time in a decade.
Salary for Council members who now make $112,500 plus bonuses will increase to $148,500, an increase of $36,000 or 32 percent.
As first reported by POLITICO New York, the raises are tied to specific and significant governmental reforms, including the elimination of outside income, making Council seats full-time positions, and a requirement to publish financial disclosure forms in an online database.
The Council salary raises will, by law, be conditioned upon eliminating stipends for committee chairs and those in leadership positions, Council officials said Thursday.
Speaker Mark-Viverito’s salary would increase to $164,500, and all of the raises raises will be retroactive to Jan. 1.
"The City Council is embarking on unprecedented, substantial reforms that will strengthen New York City's legislative body and help Council Members better serve the districts they proudly represent,” Mark-Viverito said in a statement. “Restricting outside income and eliminating all member stipends, while also designating Council Members' positions as full-time jobs, reflects the extensive work Members conduct in their communities and across the entire City.”
The Council’s bill will also include stipulations for salary increases for other elected officials, including Mayor Bill de Blasio who has said he would decline the raise this year but has left the door open if re-elected for a second term.
The Council’s bill proposes a salary of $258,750 for the mayor, who now makes $225,000 a year.
The bill also proposes a salary of $212,800, up from $190,000, for the district attorneys and $209,050 for the Comptroller, who now makes $185,000. Public Advocate Letitia James would receive an increase to $184,800 up from $165,000 and the borough presidents would see an increase to $179,200, up from $160,000.
The bill comes after a set of recommendations issued by the Independent Advisory Quadrennial Commission, a three-member panel convened by de Blasio in September. In its official report, the group concluded all of the city’s elected officials — including the mayor, public advocate, comptroller and council members — are due for a raise.
The commission recommended that Council members receive a base pay of $138,315, an increase of $25,815, or 23 percent. Despite the panel’s recommendations, the Council raises will be slightly higher than what the panel proposed.
Officials said the added bump is reasonable considering the reforms the Council is prepared to enact which will translate in a loss of yearly income for some.
“The Council's legislation incorporates many of the recommendations of good-government groups and sets a new standard for disclosure and transparency for elected officials. We look forward to hearing our bill next week,” Mark-Viverito said.
Council officials said there will be “narrow exceptions” for some outside income such as teaching a class. Council members who now receive outside income will be able to do so until the end of the current legislative session which concludes at the end of 2017. Starting in 2018, no Council member will be allowed to earn outside income except for the exceptions.
Councilman Brad Lander, a supporter of government reform and disclosure laws, said Thursday the bill ties good-government reforms with what he called an “appropriate” pay increase.
“We are implementing long-sought reforms. The pay increase is a reasonable one — supported by a base formula, recommended by the Quadrennial Commission, that is less than the pattern for public-sector workers — with a modest and appropriate adjustment for both eliminating lulus and eliminating outside income,” Lander said.
The council will hold a hearing on the bill on Wednesday and expects to vote on the measure at next Friday's stated meeting.
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2016/01/8589563/council-set-vote-pay-raises-citys-elected-officials
