SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — City council members in Utah’s largest city voted Tuesday night to raise their own salaries by nearly $10,000 in a move they argue will allow more people from all economic backgrounds to consider serving in the future.
Members of the Salt Lake City Council voted unanimously to raise pay to nearly $36,000, up from about $26,000. It is the first substantial raise other than cost-of-living increases in 37 years.
Council members Chris Wharton and Erin Mendenhall said the increased salary will allow more people to serve on the council who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to make it work financially.
“When I look at my colleagues (on the council) . I see business owners, lawyers. I see people who are able to make the sacrifice with their families because they have the privilege of being in that situation,” Wharton said.
Mendenhall said: “Every single person in my district should have the opportunity to serve here without it costing their family. That’s what this is about. This is about access to democracy for me.”
Community activist George Chapman was the only person to speak out against the raise at the council meeting. Chapman said he respects the council’s time and work but said the raise is unethical and said police officers should instead get pay increases.
“I want somebody on the council that when they run for council. They don’t think they’re going to get paid,” Chapman said.
Resident Robert Goodman backed the pay raise, saying he hopes it will bring more young people to the council.
“I think (the pay increase) is incentivizing kind of diversity of both age, demographic and walks of life on the city council, as well as encouraging people who rent potentially being on city council,” Goodman said.
The pay increase will go into effect in January.
