Rockville City Council Pay Raise Approved

The Rockville City Council approved the city’s Compensation Commission recommendation that the city’s mayor and Council should be paid more.

In a 4-1 vote during its meeting April 8, the Council approved the Commission’s recommendation to increase mayor and Council member pay so that it reflects cost of living adjustments for fiscal years 2014 and 2015. City budget years begin in July.

Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio cast the opposing vote.

“I can’t support this because I want to look at the budget and get a little more input on what this might mean,” Marcuccio said. “It seems insignificant, but I’m not satisfied.”

City spokeswoman Marylou Berg said the increases would build from the stipend amounts included in the proposed fiscal 2014 budget: $26,581 for mayor and $21,265 for Council members.

The added cost of living adjustment would be determined by the Consumer Prince Index for the Baltimore-Washington region, a rate set by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The pay raise would affect a future City Council body. Members did not vote to give themselves a raise.

But just because the Council voted to approve the raise, it doesn’t mean the Council has to fund the full amount—historically it hasn’t, according to the Compensation Committee's report.