At the April 1 city council meeting, Southgate introduced an ordinance to amend an existing ordinance regarding the council and mayor’s salaries. Many council members were left concerned; one even took to Facebook to inform community members, sparking community backlash.
Ordinance 26-03 was introduced to rewrite Ordinance 91-11, which was originally enacted in 1991. During the first reading, City Attorney Mary Ann Stewart stated that the ordinance would “increase city council member pay from $2,019 per annum to $5,000 per annum” and would increase the mayor’s pay from “$4,897 per annum to $12,000 per annum.” The increases, if passed, wouldn’t become effective until January 2027.
The changes come from both the Department of Local Government’s suggestion and a survey of council and mayor compensation across cities in Campbell County…