Former Dallas mayors support $30,000 pay raise proposal for city council members, mayor
DALLAS - Voters could decide this November if Dallas City Council members and the mayor deserve a $30,000 annual raise.
The Charter Review Commission initially recommended larger raises that would have doubled council member salaries.
Former Dallas mayors Mike Rawlings, Tom Leppert and Ron Kirk weighed in on the proposed pay raises in an editorial this week.
Under the ballot proposition, voters would be asked if Dallas City Council members' pay should be increased by 50% from $60,000 to $90,000 a year and if the mayor's salary should be raised from $80,000 to $110,000.
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The elected leaders have not had a pay raise in 10 years.
In the editorial, the former mayors agreed that elected leaders' salaries should be adjusted to reflect increased costs of living. However, they disagree with the provision that would tie their salaries to automatic adjustments for inflation.
City employees do not receive such guaranteed adjustments.
The pay raises are among 15 ballot propositions Dallas City Council members are debating about sending it to voters.
Also on Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved a proposition that asks voters if they want to move Dallas City Council elections to November when turnout would be much higher than in May.