Sec. 12. Mayor and Council salary and benefits; Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected City Officials.
a. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Charter, the salaries for elected City officials shall be set in conformity with this Charter provision.
b. There is hereby established a Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected City Officials.
c. The Commission shall be composed of a Chairman plus six (6) members who shall be appointed, from private citizens residing within the City, by the City Council every four years for a term not to exceed three months, to take office no earlier than January 1 of the year when a regular election for Mayor is scheduled.
1. Any vacancies in the membership shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made for the balance of the term of the vacancy so filled.
2. The Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for actual expenses. The City shall provide the Commission with such staff as is necessary to perform its functions and shall provide record-keeping or other facilities as needed.
d. The Commission shall, during its term, conduct a review of the rates of pay of elected City officials. Such review by the Commission shall be made for the purpose of determining and recommending pay levels appropriate to the duties and responsibilities of the positions covered by such review. The Commission may hold public hearings to aid in its work.
e. The Commission shall submit to the City Clerk, no later than April 1st of the year of its term, a report of the results of each review conducted by the Commission together with its recommendations.
f. The recommendations of the Commission as to salaries shall be certified by it to the City Clerk and the City Council shall submit to the qualified electors at the next regular municipal election the question, "Shall the recommendation of the Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected City Officials of $ ____________ per annum for the Mayor, and $ ____________ per annum for each Councilman be accepted? YES ____________ NO ____________." Such recommendations, if accepted by the electors, shall become effective at the beginning of the next regular Council term.
g. In the event the Commission recommends no change in salaries for the elected officials, it shall file such recommendation of no change with the City Clerk and no question shall be submitted to the electorate.
h. In addition to the salary established pursuant to this section, the Mayor and Council shall be entitled to receive their choice of any one of the benefit packages offered by the City. "Benefit package" does not include retirement benefits under Chapter 24 of this Charter.
(Election of 11-13-1973; election of 9-9-2003, eff. 10-1-2003; election of 3-8-2005, eff. 3-22-2005; election of 8-28-2018, eff. 10-24-2018)
Editor’s note—By election dated November 1, 1983, the following was adopted by the electorate:
"Shall the recommendation of the Citizens’ Commission of Salaries for Elected City Officials of $37,500 per annum for the Mayor, and $18,000 per annum for each Councilman be accepted?"
By election dated October 3, 1995, the following was adopted by the electorate:
"Shall the recommendation of the Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected City Officials of $34,000 per annum for each Councilman be accepted?"
By election dated September 7, 1999, the following was adopted by the electorate:
"Shall the recommendation of the Citizens’ Commission of Salaries for Elected City Officials of $56,000 per annum for the Mayor, and $36,000 per annum for each Councilman be accepted?"
By election dated September 9, 2003, the following was adopted by the electorate:
"Shall the recommendation of the Citizens’ Commission of Salaries for Elected City Officials of $62,800 per annum for the Mayor, and $51,500 per annum for each Councilman be accepted?"
By election dated September 13, 2005, the following was adopted by the electorate:
"Shall the recommendation of the Citizens’ Commission of Salaries for Elected City Officials of $88,000 per annum for the Mayor, and $61,600 per annum for each Councilman be accepted?"