Jamestown City Councilman and finance committee chair Tony Dolce (right) discusses the city’s salary review commission with his colleagues during Monday night’s city council work session.
JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown City Council will once again consider salary increase for elected officials within the next 12 months.
During Monday night’s city council work session, city councilman and finance committee chairman Tony Dolce said that under the city charter, the city is required to form a Salary Review Commission every four years.
“Every four years a salary review commission is set up to look at the salaries of the mayor and council members,” Dolce explained. “We’ve talked about this before, but since 1984 the council salaries have been at $5,000 and the council president has been at $6,000. They have not changed in 35 years now.”
Meanwhile, according to information that was distributed to council members during Monday night’s meeting, the salary for the mayor is currently $72,000. The last time that was increased was in 2008.
Dolce said later this year a commission will be set up featuring three members appointed by the mayor and three members appointed by city council president to review the history of salaries in Jamestown, compare to other municipalities, and bring forward recommendations.
Those recommendations would then be reviewed by the city council and could be voted on, although any changes in salary would not take place until a new city council and mayoral term begins, which would be in the year 2020.
The council has until early 2019 to receive the recommendations and act on any salary increase.
The last time commission recommendations were brought forward was in 2014. At that time it suggested the council salary be bumped up to $6,000 per year. It also recommended the mayor’s salary increase to $90,000 over a four-year period. Once the recommendations were made, the council opted not to change the salaries due to ongoing financial challenges facing the city.
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