City Council pushes pay issue forward
The city will examine the pay of surrounding communities and other factors in deciding a possible compensation package for Sanibel’s elected officials.
Or not.
Ultimately, data collected and a City Council consensus that pay is justified will place the issue before voters, Mayor Kevin Ruane said at the city’s Oct. 7 monthly hearing that included a $2.1 million amendment to the 2014-15 budget.
City Council was unanimous in agreeing to push the pay idea forward, to revisit solutions in November. Public hearings are required before a charter revision makes the ballot, the mayor said.
The mayor introduced the compensation topic in September, saying some costs of the job are his. Under charter, councilmembers are not paid. And indirect expenses aren’t fully covered by daily allowances under state and federal rules, he said. The city covers $50 in meals for the day, rules set by Florida. Some travel costs and mileage are covered. Myriad other expenses like workshops and donations, however, are his, the mayor said, as is for the City Council. As his responsibilities and Sanibel’s acceptance into Florida’s political landscape have grown, out-of-pocket costs jumped, he said. The mayor sits on statewide boards, and has traveled to Washington, D.C., and Tallahassee regularly in the last year, all related to city business, he said.
The mayor at the Oct. 7 public hearing introduced the idea of a stipend or a salary, unsure which, but that something would help entice others seeking office, he said. City staff will study the pay in comparable towns, package suggestions and let the council move on them. Only a handful of Florida towns disallow pay, Ruane said, noting that he was just named by Gov. Rick Scott to an eco-system task force.
“The job has evolved,” the mayor said.
Following Ruane’s introduction of the issue, which included anecdotes of incurred expenses over eight years at some $15,000, Vice Mayor Doug Congress supported a council consensus to have the issue examined by workers, suggesting a move to the next phase. The council voted 5-0 in support.
“At the end of the day,” Congress said, “let citizens make the determination.”
The pay issue appears to be moot for some time: preliminary public readings of any proposal would move into 2015, possibly placing a charter amendment on the November 2015 ballot, Ruane said, or even into 2017.
That the pay issue received full council support surprised the mayor.
“Thought I’d be the Lone Ranger on this,” he said.
City Council meets next at 9 a.m. Nov. 4.