City Hall pay raises proposed

A proposal circulating at Las Vegas City Hall would boost City Council salaries by 52 percent and more than double the mayor's salary, while also officially making the mayor's seat a full-time job.

If approved, the raises wouldn't take effect until after elections are held for each position, so any increases are at least two years away. There's also a car allowance on the table -- $500 a month for council members and $600 a month for the mayor.

A staff analysis says that salary increases are long overdue given the growth in Las Vegas and the increased demands on elected officials since the last time base pay was adjusted in 1986.

There have been annual cost-of-living increases since then, but "those adjustments do not take into account the changing expectations placed on council members as the city has grown in size and stature," wrote City Manager Doug Selby.

An ordinance raising the salaries is on the council's Wednesday agenda, but the measure most likely will be referred to a council subcommittee for further study before coming to a vote.

"I'm term-limited out, so it doesn't affect me that much," said Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese, who's in his fourth term on the council.

But he's supportive of the increase -- in fact, he said council positions should be upgraded to full-time jobs with salaries above $100,000.

"There are people who may run if they could make a halfway decent living at it," he said, noting that elected officials often have travel and entertainment expenses beyond those of a regular citizen.

"That's what I'd like to see, is people spending more time up there without having to work a second job to make a living."

Under the proposed ordinance, Las Vegas City Council members would receive a salary equal to 90 percent of what Clark County commissioners are paid.

The increase would be staggered as council elections take place, so the Ward 2, 4, and 6 council positions would receive it first in 2009. Elections in Wards 1, 3 and 5 take place in 2011.

In 2009, the new council pay would be $69,247. Clark County hasn't established commissioner salaries for 2011, but in 2010 they'll receive $80,008, and 90 percent of that is $72,007.

The Las Vegas mayor's salary, meanwhile, would be 180 percent of the City Council salary.

Mayor Oscar Goodman's term isn't over until 2011. But even 180 percent of the 2009 figure would be $124,644, which is more than double the mayor's current salary of $59,657.

Goodman, who is sponsoring the pay raise measure, cannot seek re-election because of term limits.

Under the new system, the mayor could not seek outside employment. Council members could still be employed in addition to their official duties.

Goodman was unavailable for comment Friday, according to a spokeswoman, and other council members did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A proposal similar to this one was introduced in 2002, but the council never voted on it.

In the 21 years since their base pay was last adjusted, Las Vegas' municipal boundaries have more than doubled to 130 square miles, the city's population has swelled 217 percent to nearly 600,000 and the annual budget ballooned to $1.4 billion, up from $113 million, Selby wrote.

He also noted that council members must sit on new boards that didn't exist in 1986, such as the Regional Flood Control District, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Clean Water Coalition.