City Report: Mayor and Council Should Be Paid More

Rockville’s mayor and council should be getting paid more, according to the city’s Compensation Commission’s most recent report.

Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio and the council are expected to discuss the report’s recommendations on Monday. The report is posted at the city’s website, rockvillemd.gov.

The Commission says the mayor and council should be paid more than the approved $26,581 for mayor and $21,265 for council members for fiscal years 2015 and 2016 in order to keep up with cost of living increases.

City budget years begin in July. The council has not had a raise since 2006, according to the report.

While the report didn’t offer specific amounts, it mentioned that the mayor and council members would be getting paid closer to $30,000 and $25,000 had the city kept up with cost of living adjustments.

The report also criticized the mayor and council for failing to fund the yearly pay for the full amount:

“The Commission recognizes that extraordinary fiscal circumstances in any given budget cycle can impact the Mayor and Council’s budget decisions for that cycle.  The Commissioners, as active and committed citizens of Rockville, feel that the Mayor and Council has an obligation to support reasonable increases in the stipends so that the future Mayors and Councils will remain adequately compensated for their commitment to the community.”

In 2011, the mayor and council rejected the Commission’s recommendations for a raise.

The discussion arose during budget season in January 2012, Patch reported, the council decided against including a pay increase for mayor and council in the current budget.

The mayor is paid $25,750; council members are paid $20,600, according to the report and prior Patch accounts.