Columbus City Council has approved 2023 salaries for city employees and officials, though council members were still divided on the idea of giving themselves a 6% increase.
The council voted on Tuesday to approve the second readings of salary ordinances for elected officials, sworn police and fire employees, and civilian employees. The council split 4-2 on the ordinance for elected officials, with Councilmen Tom Dell, D-at large and Tim Shuffett, R-District 5, voting against the measure. Councilwoman Elaine Hilber, D-District 2,who voted against the ordinance’s first reading, was absent.
The approved 2023 salary for Mayor Jim Lienhoop is $108,347, compared to $102,214 in 2022. For Clerk-Treasurer Luann Welmer, it is $89,848; her current salary is $84,762. Each council member will have a 2023 salary of $15,984; their current salaries are $15,079.
The 2023 salary ordinances for city employees include a 7.9% increase for sworn positions and a 6% increase for civilian positions, said City Director of Finance, Operations and Risk Jamie Brinegar. The latter increase does not mean that each person will receive a 6% raise; instead, each person’s increase depends on a cost of living adjustment (COLA) and possible merit raise based on their evaluation. The increase for sworn personnel, on the other hand, is a 7.9% increase to base pay.
Additionally, each elected official’s salary will increase 6% in 2023.
“The cost of living we just got as of Monday, Mayor, was at 8.2% right now, from last year to this year,” said Brinegar. “So it’s still below the COLA.”
However, Dell said that while the mayor and clerk-treasurer’s raises were well deserved, he took issue with giving the council an “arbitrary” 6% raise.
“Not only our sworn officers, but our civilian employees deserve more than we get,” Dell said.
Shuffett, who voted to approve the first reading of the ordinance, said that he changed his mind after looking at the data from other cities.
“I’ve had some discussion as well, and I know the councils really have not moved in comparison to other employees of the city and mayor’s and clerk’s offices have moved up because of cost of living,” he said. “But councils, as a whole, have not moved as dramatically. And I think there is some error, to that, on the amount that the council is getting, and it maybe should be reduced at some point.”
On the other hand, Frank Miller, R-District 4, said that it’s better to enact incremental raises each year to “keep pace,” rather than wait and institute major increases.
