Lynnwood salary panel urges pay raises for officials

By Janice Podsada

Herald Writer

LYNNWOOD — Like clockwork, Lynnwood City Council members have received a 4.6 percent pay raise since 1994.

But the mayor hasn’t had a pay raise in eight years, and city employees have only seen their paychecks increase 3.5 percent in each of the past two years.

However, that could change.

The Lynnwood Citizens Salary Commission is recommending a 9 percent pay increase for the mayor and a change in how council members are compensated, said Peter Lieurance, the city’s executive assistant.

Earlier this year, the council passed an ordinance creating a Citizens Salary Commission. Since July, the five-member group has met to evaluate the pay scale for the city’s elected officials. They don’t have any say, however, in the pay for city employees.

In recent years, Everett and Edmonds have relied on citizens salary commissions to take the politics out of the process, Lieurance said.

The Lynnwood commission is recommending that the mayor’s salary increase from $6,512 to $7,150 per month, a 9 percent increase. It is also recommending that the pay schedule for council members be revised.

In her eight years in office, Mayor Tina Robert-Martinez never asked for a raise, so a new mayor will benefit if the salary commission’s idea is approved.

Council members receive a base pay of $650 a month, plus $115 per meeting.

"They average about five meetings per month," Lieurance said

The commission is recommending that council members receive $1,100 a month. They wouldn’t receive any "per-meeting pay," said Robin Hall, Lynnwood Human Resources director.

Council members have averaged a 4.6 percent annual pay increase since 1994, while city employees only received a 3.5 percent pay increase each year for the past two years, Hall said.

The percentage is based on this year’s and last’s Consumer Price Index — 3.9 percent.

"We don’t do a full cost of living increase," Lieurance said. "City employees get 90 percent." The salary commission, whose members include a union official, a human resources professional and a Boeing engineer, looked at the salaries of elected officials in other similar-sized Washington cities, including Edmonds, Tukwila, Sea-Tac, Renton and Federal Way.

The commission must finalize its recommendations and submit them to the city clerk by Nov.5.

Their proposal will then go to the city council. The council can adopt it, modify it, refer it to voters or take no action at all, Lieurance said.

You can call Herald Writer Janice Podsada at 425-339-302 or send e-mail to podsada@heraldnet.com.

The Citizens Salary Commission is asking for the public’s comment on pay increases for elected officials.

The commission will hold a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Lynnwood City Hall, 19100 44th Ave. W.

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