City pay raise proposal could advance today

A measure raising salaries for the Las Vegas mayor and city council could move forward today, even though earlier this month council members heard more gloomy news about city tax revenues.

If approved, city council salaries will go up more than 50 percent and the mayor's pay would more than double, with raises taking effect after the next round of elections.

The proposal seems at odds with numbers documenting a steady slide in consolidated sales tax revenue, which is the city's main funding source.

City manager Doug Selby told the council recently that employees have been told to give "very, very careful consideration to the expansion or changes to any program that would cause us to spend more money."

Sales tax revenue for the 2007 fiscal year was about $2 million less than expected, said Mark Vincent, director of the city's finance and business services department.

From March through July of this year, each month has recorded drops of 1 percent to 5 percent compared to the same month in the previous year.

"It's a very worrisome trend," Vincent said.

Still, it doesn't mean city leaders stop conducting business, whether that means hiring needed employees or increasing salaries.

"Having some budget woes doesn't mean you don't do anything," he said. "You can't be paralyzed about the future."

Selby said downturns in the housing and retail sectors are to blame for the declining revenue, which should pick up as pending developments are completed in the city.

Mayor Oscar Goodman thinks so too.

"By the time the raises go into effect, I have every expectation that the (consolidated sales) tax will be back to its buoyant past," he said. "I'm very bullish on the economy."

The proposal, which Goodman is sponsoring, calls for city council members to be paid 90 percent of what Clark County commissioners make. The mayor would be paid 180 percent of a city council salary.

The mayor would not be allowed to accept outside work, while council members could continue to do so. Also on the table is a car allowance: $500 a month for council members and $600 a month for the mayor.

The raises would not be immediate. They would take effect only after the next election for the position, which means they would be in place first for the Ward 2, 4, and 6 council slots following the 2009 elections.

Salaries for the mayor and the Ward 1, 3, and 5 seats would go up in 2011.

In 2009, a council salary would increase to $69,247, up from the current $45,410. The mayor's potential salary can't be calculated because Clark County hasn't set commission salaries for 2011, but it would likely more than double to upwards of $120,000.

A council subcommittee will accept public comment on the proposal today. A council vote isn't expected until next month.

Council members could approve the entire package or only parts of it, such as the section making the mayor's job full time.

Because of term limits, Goodman cannot run again in 2011. He's already working as mayor full time.

"I've just been lucky that I've been able to do that because of my good fortune in my prior life," said the former defense attorney. "I want to make sure that the next mayor, whoever that is, is able to work full time, do a good job, and get paid a living wage.

"Being mayor of the city of Las Vegas, which is one of the biggest cities in the United States, takes a lot of time."

Except for cost-of-living increases, compensation for Las Vegas' elected officials hasn't increased since 1986.

In that time, the city has grown geographically and added population rapidly, noted a report on the raises by Selby. Council members also must serve on public bodies that didn't exist 20 years ago.