The Phoenix mayor and City Council will see sizable pay raises after voters overwhelmingly endorsed the idea on Election Day.
The boost raise the mayor’s pay by 18% and the councilmembers’ pay by 25%. The mayor’s salary will increase from $88,000 to $103,840, and the council’s from $61,600 to $77,000. It’s the first City Council pay raise since 2006.
Phoenix’s area median income for an individual is $65,600.
The salary increase for elected leaders in Phoenix was not requested by the mayor and council, but rather, by a commission of residents appointed by the council. The commission meets before every mayoral election to consider and potentially recommend raises.
In a letter , the commission wrote, “Phoenix’s elected officials have extensive responsibilities and work long hours to represent the City at various meetings and events and have not had a salary increase in nearly 20 years.”
The group recommended the new salaries based on “information provided with comparable data from other cities.”