Officials Approve Salary Increase For Next Mayor of Watkinsville

The next mayor of will get a slight boost to his annual pay, Watkinsville city council members decided Tuesday at a special hearing called to review the compensation of the city's highest-ranking official.

Council members agreed to increase the mayor's current $7,200 annual salary by $2,500 to take effect July 1, 2012. Council members then planned to hold subsequent hearings to review additional proposed salary increases of $2,500 in 2013 and $2,800 – bringing the total salary up to $15,000 - by 2014.

City Council member Brian Brodrick first proposed raising the mayor's salary in July, following a in the upcoming Nov. 8 election.

Over the last few years, mayoral candidates in Watkinsville have ran unopposed, and city officials have worried whether they'll be able to attract a qualified candidate with the growing responsibilities of the office, and the job's wage, which hasn't changed in nearly 15 years.

“It's a big job, and I'm not comfortable paying the mayor $1.25 an hour, or whatever it adds up to,” Brodrick said.

Many other cities of similar size operate with both a mayor and city manager, while Watkinsville relies on one person to do both jobs, officials said.

In a survey officials conducted of similar-sized municipalities in Georgia, city managers held salaries ranging from $62,000 to $133,000. The salaries of the mayors in each town were commensurate with Watkinsville's mayor, according to the report.

“I think, based on this research and the fact we don't have a city manager earning upwards of 50, 60 or $70,000 dollars, that a salary increase (to) $15,000 would be appropriate and realistic,” Brodrick said.

Initially Brodrick suggested the council consider raising the mayor's salary to $15,000 in fiscal year 2013, and to $22,000 - the same wage as a part-time county commissioner - the next fiscal year. He later decided to propose the city make raises in smaller increments.

“I never want it to be about the money,” Brodrick said. “I just think it needs to be fair to the person in the office.”

City Council Member Mike Link expressed some hesitation raising the salary so quickly without considering the future economic climate of the city, and asked that the council re-evaluate the salary increase every year until 2014.

“I think we've got to be frugal and not go too far overboard if we're going to do it,” Link said. “I think we have to decide to move so much per year and see what the economy is going to do.”

Only one citizen, , spoke against the raise.

“I personally do not believe in raising the mayor's salary,” Ivie said. “The economic atmosphere is not conducive for any amount of a salary increase for the mayor...It just seems wrong to me.”