Greeley city council votes on salary increases for future mayor and city councilmembers
By Kelly Ragan
Future Greeley city councilmembers can expect to make $600 more a year after a vote Tuesday.
As it stands, Greeley’s mayor earns a salary of $18,000 and council members earn a salary of $12,000.
Maria Gonzalez Estevez, Greeley’s Human Resources Director, recommended during a presentation Tuesday to raise council members’ salary to $12,600. She recommended the mayor’s salary stay the same.
Per Greeley’s charter, council must review salaries every four years. The last time council voted on salary was in 2016.
Those compensation adjustments won’t take place within any sitting council member’s term, but if sitting council members were re-elected, they would earn the increase.
The idea here is to avoid having folks vote on their own salary, as that would create a conflict of interest. After all, who among us doesn’t want to get paid more?
Gonzalez Estevez said the compensation suggestions were in line with nine other comparable Colorado communities, namely: Arvada, Boulder, Brighton, Broomfield, Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, Thornton and Westminster.
Arvada (updated 2020)
Mayor: $18,000
Council members: $13,800
Boulder (updated 2020)
Mayor: $12,205
Council members: $12,205
Brighton (updated 2020)
Mayor: $16,800
Council members: $14,400
Broomfield (updated 2020)
Mayor: $13,200
Council members: $9,600
Fort Collins (updated 2020)
Mayor: $15,360
Council members: $10,236
Loveland (updated 2020)
Mayor: $12,000
Council members: $7,200
Longmont (updated 2020)
Mayor: $18,000
Council members: $14,400
Thornton (updated 2015)
Mayor: $24,000
Council members: $18,000
Westminster (updated 2020)
Mayor: $17,736
Council members: $12,672
Between those nine communities, the average mayor salary came out to $16,367 – which puts Greeley’s salary above average.
The average councilmember salary comes out to $12,501, which puts Greeley’s councilmember salary below average. Council approved the ordinance 6-1. Tommy Butler was the lone no-vote.
Butler said the idea of council voting on their own salary rubbed him the wrong way.
City Manager Roy Otto said he understood, but it was a standard process in other government organizations.
“You’ve got to win again to get the benefit,” said Ed Clark.