Tampa City Council members have voted to give themselves a pay raise.
The annual salary for council members will go from $54,000 to $75,000 – an almost 40% increase.
Mayor Jane Castor’s administration proposed the raises two years ago. Council members at that time voted 4-3 against them.
Council member Gwen Henderson voted in favor of the raise at a workshop Thursday.
“If you looked at it from if this was a full-time job, can a person afford to live in the city that they’re actually governing,” Henderson said. “That would be no based on the current salary level.”
Henderson also noted that with the raises, council members would be able to focus fully on the job without worrying about other sources of income.
Council member Luis Viera voted against the salary increase, mainly because of the timing.
“I’m not against raises, and I’ll say it again,” Viera said. “Doing an increase so fast when I know people are having a really, really hard time, I don’t want them to think that we’re just above them.”
Viera was joined by Charlie Miranda and Bill Carlson in voting against the proposal.
Viera said that the proposed raises shouldn’t go into effect until after the next election cycle.
“I don’t think, on principle, that we should get the benefit of it,” Viera said.
The council also voted to tie their raises to the ones given to unionized city workers. A resolution will be drafted by city staff and then be presented to the council in September. Castor will have to include funding for the raises in the city budget.
Henderson believes that this raise could be a gateway to more people running for office, which could lead to a more diverse city council.
“It’s not just about us,” Henderson said. “It’s about the future of Tampa and who gets to lead our city and who gets to have a seat at the table.”
