By law, the pay raises will not go into effect until the office holders or other potential candidates begin new terms.
City council members will be paid $675 per month, a 125 percent increase from $300 currently paid. The last time city council members received a raise was in 1997, when pay increased by $50 a month.
The mayor will be paid $1,000 per month, a 61 percent increase from $621 now. The mayor’s salary has not increased since it went into effect in 1985.
Other cities have examined council pay this year. Beavercreek last month approved an 80 percent raise for council members that will pay them $10,800 annually. Kettering later this month will consider a 5 percent increase phased in over two years, if approved.
The Huber Heights raises had to be approved by June 1, according to city charter. An increase or decrease to the salaries of council and the mayor can only happen on the in odd years between Jan. 1 and June 1, according to city rules.
Terms for Richard Shaw, Don Webb, Ed Lyons and Otto end in December. If they win re-election in November, they will see the raise in January.
Byrge, Seth Morgan, Andy Hill, Mark Campbell and Mayor Jeff Gore’s terms are up in December 2021. They will not see the raise until January 2022, if they choose to run for re-election.
City leaders had discussed pay raises in 2017, but nothing happened then, Gore said.
Gore proposed the raises as a way to potentially attract residents to run for council, especially younger residents who might want to serve their communities but would need extra financial help.
The council and mayor agreed to allow the legislation to go through three readings before voting on the raises, using the time to get comment from the public.
The council and mayor did not receive comments from the public at any of the meetings or sessions where raises were mentioned in the agenda or minutes.
The current Ohio Public Employees Retirement System established minimum salary for a full year of service is $660 per month, officials said.
For information regarding the raises, contact Clerk of Council Anthony Rodgers at 937-237-5832.
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