Jamestown Salary Review Commission holds first meeting (October 18, 2022)
The Jamestown Salary Review Commission is looking at options for the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities to pay a stipend toward an increase in the Mayor’s salary.
The Commission held its first meeting Tuesday to discuss salaries for the Mayor and City Council. By City Charter, the advisory commission is required to meet every four years and present a recommendation for any adjustments to salaries to City Council. Council then can choose to accept or take no action. Any changes would not go into effect until January 1, 2024.
City Corporation Counsel Elliot Raimondo made a suggestion that the commission approach the Jamestown BPU about contributing to the mayor’s salary, “One of the suggestions we had is that the Mayor in his current role serves as Chairman of the BPU Board. The Commission, as a whole, would like to know how much time the Mayor is spending as the Chairman of the BPU Board and whether that time should be compensated by the BPU Board. So that is something we have to explore as a Commission.”
The mayor’s salary is $72,000 and hasn’t been increased since 2008. Council member salaries are $5,000 with the Council President receiving an additional $1,000 stipend. Those salaries haven’t been increased since 1984.
Commission member Pat Smeraldo asked how much salaries have increased for union contracts going back five years, now that all bargaining units are current. Raimondo replied that with looking back five year until now, it’s a 10-12% increase.
General consensus by members is that both the mayor and city council have had an increased workload, especially with social media making it easier to reach out to elected officials.
Tage Hall was selected as the Chair of the Commission. Their next meeting will be 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
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