MONROE — The mayor and City Council members here are getting a raise.
Monroe Salary Commission voted unanimously earlier this month to increase the mayor’s pay by $600 a month. The mayor’s monthly salary will be $3,600, effective July 1.
The commission also voted unanimously to pay City Council members $800 a month, effective July 1. Each council member’s specific increase depends on whether he or she is currently being paid a salary or per meeting.
State law prohibits council members from voting to increase their own pay. When Monroe reviewed council compensation in 2013, it was changed from $100 per meeting, with a maximum of $400 a month, to a flat monthly rate of $600. The raise was only available to council members elected after November 2013.
Council members Kevin Hanford, Patsy Cudaback, Jeff Rasmussen, and Kurt Goering are currently being compensated $600 a month. Three others — Jim Kamp, Ed Davis, and Jason Gamble — receive $100 per meeting.
Mayor Geoffrey Thomas said one of the reasons the council decided to start a salary commission was so all members would be paid the same amount of money.
Monroe Salary Commissioners Brian Coonan, Erin Angus-Snapka, David Van Kirk explained their reasoning for the pay increases at the City Council meeting Tuesday evening.
Coonan said they decided on the raises in hopes of attracting more people to run for office. They compared the pay and the workload of elected officials in Monroe with their counterparts in several similar-size cities in the area.
“The city of Monroe has a lot on its plate, with no end to its growth in sight,” Coonan said.
At least 35 cities across the state have salary commissions, according to the Municipal Research and Services Center, a nonprofit that supports local governments.
In Snohomish County, Everett, Mukilteo, Stanwood, Lynnwood, Bothell, Edmonds, Marysville and Mountlake Terrace are among those that have a salary commission.
The new $3,600 monthly pay rate for the mayor of Monroe, a city of about 17,724 people, falls between that of other mayors in nearby cities of similar size. The new $800-a-month compensation puts Monroe’s council members pay above some of their counterparts.
In Mukilteo, a slightly larger city of 20,860 people, the mayor earns $5,900 a month. Council members earn $500 a month and the council president gets $550.
Like most cities in the county, Monroe has a mayor-council form of government in which the mayor manages the city as the chief administrative officer. The council makes decisions on city laws and policies. Cities with that model typically pay the mayor more money due to the increased level of responsibility.
Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports
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