After officially “reconsidering,” Marysville City Council has approved a raise for itself.
Last week council heard a second reading of an ordinance to set compensation for council members at $7,920, beginning in 2020. At the time, council also amended the ordinance to include a section indicating it would review an additional 2% increase in 2021.
The city charter dictates that any raise must be approved at least 30 days before the filing deadline for a council election. That filing deadline is Aug. 7. To meet that deadline, council said it would hear and approve a third reading at Monday night’s council work session.
At Monday’s meeting, City Law Director Tim Aslaner explained that the amendment could not be added. He said because the amendment was being removed, the legislation needed to go back to second reading. Additionally, the third reading would need waived.
The motion to waive that third reading, however, failed when council member Henk Berbee voted against it. Council Clerk Rebecca Dibble clarified that he had voted against the motion, which he confirmed. Mayor J.R. Rausch began to move forward before Aslaner pointed out that the motion failed. He explained that motions to waive a third reading require at least six votes. Council member Nevin Taylor, who was involved in a car crash last week, was excused and not at the meeting. With Berbee’s ‘No’ vote, the motion had only five in favor.
“Don’t want to reconsider that do you, Henk?” council member Mark Reams asked.
“No. It should be done in open council. This is a work session,” Berbee responded.
Reams explained that it is permissible for council to vote in a work session and “we’ve always had business at these meetings.”
“The rules allow it,” Aslaner confirmed.
Berbee asked if there was enough time to pass the legislation at the July 8 council meeting. Reams said there was not and asked Berbee to make a motion to reconsider his vote. He explained that since Berbee was the lone vote in opposition, only he could move to reconsider.
Council voted unanimously to reconsider and to waive the third reading.
Because the original legislation was now at a second reading, Rausch asked if there was any public comment. As there was just one member of the public at the meeting, there was no comment.
Council member Scott Brock voted in opposition of the legislation on the second reading, however, that motion needed only a majority, so with a 5-1 vote, the ordinance passed and council had voted itself a raise.
Brock consistently said he was not in favor and thought it was being pushed too rapidly.
The legislation, at the urging of the finance committee, does include language requiring council to review its pay by May 1 on council election years in an effort to avoid rushing to pass salary legislation.
Because the amendment was removed, council will not receive an additional increase in 2021.
At the June 3 work session Reams said he wanted to address council pay. Currently, Marysville City Council members make $7,200 per year. To receive full credit for the year of service, the Ohio Public Service Retirement System requires a minimum salary of $660 per month or $7,920 annually.
He explained that the city charter limits when and how council pay can be addressed. During the June 10 council meeting, several council members expressed they did not like the legislation and they would not approve it. Council decided it did not want to rush the legislation through and agreed the finance committee should explore options.
As part of the process, council asked City Human Resources Director Brian Dostanko to look at other council salaries and report back.
In the report, Dostanko compared several communities in the Mid-Ohio region. Additionally, he compared several other similar cities around the state. In the region, salaries average about $15,000. Officials acknowledge that city of Columbus council salary of more than $57,000 skews that number.
Dostanko said the list of comparable cities probably more accurately reflects what appropriate salaries should be. He said council compensation in the comparable cities averages $8,325.