In a feisty back-and-forth, Denver’s City Council on Monday debated giving a raise to the city’s elected officials — including council members — before deciding to delay the vote.
The council had been expected to vote on whether to grant the officials, including the mayor, auditor and clerk, a 6.6 percent raise by 2015.
The conversation got a little heated for the mostly collegial group.
Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz said they should not consider such a raise when the city faces a $100 million budget shortfall.
“You would be raising elected officials’ salaries at the time when you are cutting basic services,” she said.
Denver is the only large city in Colorado that pays its council members a living wage — $78,173 a year, plus about $30,000 in benefits.
Under city law, the outgoing council sets the salary increases for the incoming officers. Elections for the council are May 3.
The council can award only a 6.6 percent raise over the next four years — a figure based on the average increase of the metro area’s Consumer Price Index.
The plan before the council was to give no raises in the first two years of the four-year term and then give 3.3 percent raises in each of the last two years.
The mayor’s pay would go to $155,211, from $145,601, and the auditor’s and clerk’s salary would rise to $134,235, from $125,924.
Most council members would see their pay increase to $83,332.
But Faatz said the officials already make more than the average city worker, teacher and Denver household.
“I don’t believe anyone will be going to the poorhouse,” Faatz said in proposing no raise.
She was supported by at least four other council members, two of whom — Michael Hancock and Carol Boigon — are running for mayor.
Every seat on the council, as well as mayor, auditor and clerk, is up for election.
Council president Chris Nevitt, who earns about $10,000 more than the others, said it would be unfair to future councils not to give raises.
“What we are talking about here is a cost-of-living increase,” Nevitt said.
Councilman Paul Lopez, who supports the raise, said other counties pay their commissioners a living wage. He said he doesn’t want the pay for City Council members to be so low as to not support those with families.
Councilman Doug Linkhart, also running for mayor, said the issue had become political and said the raises had already been agreed upon last summer.
“I am not going to back off of the compromise because it is an election year,” he said.
Nevitt also said his council offices are in the City and County Building, saving the city $16,000 a year, and noted that Faatz chooses to have her offices in a leased office.
“There are options to save money that are willing to be taken and options not willing to be taken,” Nevitt said.
Faatz said she keeps her office as a convenience to constituents and that Nevitt has more staff members than she does.
Councilman Charlie Brown, who said he supports the raises, asked to send the whole idea back to committee with the intention of resurrecting it before the election.
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
