Budget proposal to increase city commissioner pay from $9,000 to $38,000 sparks debate among city leaders

City Manager Tom Markus’ recommended budget is proposing the first salary increase for city commissioners in 20 years, but commissioners disagree on how much salaries should go up.

Budget and Strategic Initiatives Manager Danielle Buschkoetter told the commission at its meeting Tuesday that the recommended budget would increase salaries for commissioners to $38,000. Buschkoetter said there wasn’t a good benchmark for what other communities paid their elected leaders but that the increase would bring City Commission salaries more in line with what Douglas County commissioners make annually. While most commissioners said they thought the raise was needed so that the commissioner pay did not prohibit some people from running for office, they were also concerned about increasing it so much in one year.