2019-08-21 Salary Commission MinutesSALARY COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes
SPECIALLY CALLED MEETING
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
7:00 pm
Police Department Training Room
250 5t" Ave. N., Edmonds, WA 98020
Present: Jay Grant, Chair
Ava Dubno, Vice -Chair
Don Hall, Commissioner
Jeff Hodson, Commissioner
Marilynne Beard, Consultant, MMB Consulting
Excused: Carl Zapora, Commissioner
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Grant called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Chair Grant asked the Commissioners if they had any changes to the agenda.
There were no changes requested to the agenda and the agenda was approved
as submitted.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Chair Grant asked the Commissioners if there were any changes to the Meeting
Minutes of the August 14, 2019 meeting. Chair Grant had communicated one edit
that he had requested. With that edit, the minutes were approved unanimously.
PUBLIC HEARING
Chair Grant opened the Public Hearing and described the scope and authority of
the Salary Commission. Three individuals provided testimony:
1. Barbara Chase regarding the importance of including benefits in addition
to salary when describing compensation.
2. Roger Pence spoke to the part-time nature of the City Council's position
and that their compensation should reflect a part-time salary and possibly
be calculated as a percentage of the Mayor's salary.
ELW 7/2/2019
3. Victor Eskenazi introduced himself as a new member of the Mountlake
Terrace Salary Commission and was in attendance to learn about how
the Edmond's Salary Commission operates.
No further public comments were offered and Chair Grant closed the Public
Hearing.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Follow-up from August 14, 2019 Meeting
Review of Special District Compensation — The Commission had
requested comparable compensation data for elected officials and CEO's
of the hospital district, port district and school district. Commissioner
Zapora had requested the data from the districts and forwarded their
responses to staff for compilation. Ms. Beard provided a recap of the data
as compiled (Attachment A).
2. City Attorney Follow-up on Conflict Question — At the August 14
Commission meeting Chair Grant advised the Commissioners that he had
been contacted by a member of the City Council expressing concern that
Commission Members endorsing City Council candidate would create a
conflict with their work on the Commission. The Chair asked Ms. Beard to
consult with the City Attorney.
Ms. Beard spoke with Jeff Taraday of Lighthouse Law Group, Edmonds
contracted City Attorney. Mr. Taraday that there is no provision in the
Salary Commission's enabling ordinance or any other regulation that
would prevent them from supporting a candidate. Since the Commission
is setting compensation prior to the November election (the Commission
must complete its work by September 30) they do not have knowledge
about which candidates will win and so would not be seen as influencing
the election outcome or setting compensation based on an individual
candidate.
Council and Community Survey Results
Results of the Community Survey were provided to the Commission
electronically of Tuesday, August 20 (Attachment B). Ms. Beard provided an
overview of the results including written comments provided to open-ended
questions (Attachment C).
Results of the Council Survey were made available at the Commission meeting
to enable all Councilmembers that wished to complete the survey time to do so.
Ms. Beard provided an overview of the Council survey results (Attachment D).
The Commission discussed the survey results expressed their appreciation to the
survey responders and the thoughtfulness of their answers. They response rate
was much better than the previous process in 2017.
Potential Adjustments to Elected Officials' Compensation
Chair Grant opened the Commission discussion about possible adjustments to
the Mayor and City Council compensation including the Council President. He
offered several thoughts about factors the Commission could consider and
reminded the Commissioners that they had approved an adjustment in the last
process that brought to the average of other cities.
Chair Grant led a roundtable discussion with the Commissioners about salary
comparable figures. The Commission wanted to consider other comparable
factors other than just other city and state government boards and councils.
Commissioner Hodson pointed out that other cities' comparable ranges average
on the higher side and, in some cases was set at over $18,000 a year. The
discussion then turned to reviewing part-time and full-time positions within the
City itself including salary, health care and retirement credits based on part-time
to full-time.
It was noted that the Mayor is paid about $10,500 a month in his full-time
position. In reviewing other City staff positions that are currently open, Chair
Grant noted that the Parks Director's salary, which reports to the Mayor, is
$10,000 to $13,000 a year, and in fact most all the City Directors salaries are
higher than the Mayor's. Reviewing other open positions starting at the lower
end start about $4,100 - $6,100 a month for a regular full-time staff position,
down to some basic part-time personnel who would be paid the State minimum
wage which will be $13.50 beginning January 1. 2020.
With these criteria in mind, the discussion turned to the topic of what a Council's
salary might be if it were full-time using the Mayor's position as the
comparable. The discussion then turned to how many hours a council member
actually works, which has could be difficult to track and can vary significantly
from one council member to another. Chair Grant shared that the only place he
could find any official document relating to the numbers of hours a Council
member work was in the adopted City budget which states council members
work an average of 25-32 hours a week. Using a measure that is statistically
valid is important.
Commissioner Hodson noted that the Council had not received regular cost of
living adjustments prior to 2017 which caused Edmonds to lag behind
comparable cities. The Commission calculated what the Council adjustment
would have been since the last cost of living adjustment to arrive at their decision
for Council salary adjustments in 2018 and 2019.
The Commission then discussed how hours would be tracked if compensation was
based on hours worked and who would be responsible for maintaining the records.
Since the Council positions are considered salaried, they do not presently track hours.
The Commission then considered how to calculate a salary that could be replicated in
the future, for instance using and benchmark hourly rate multiplied by the estimated 25
hours per week. The Commission did not determine the exact formula to use.
The Commission also discussed compensation for the Mayor and Council President.
The Commission discussed whether to use the same cost of living adjustment as the
non -represented employees for the Mayor's salary. Regarding the Council President, a
majority of the Community and Council survey responses indicated that the extra
responsibilities of the Council President warranted additional compensation ranging from
$300 per month to $1,000 per month, with the most frequent suggestion being $500.
Commissioner Hodson notes that cities with comparable populations pay the Council
President up to $18,000 per year (Attachment E). The Commission did not arrive at a
decision regarding the Mayor's or Council President's salary.
The Commission's last scheduled meeting is on September 11 at which time a final
decision to forward to the City Clerk would need to be approved. Given that deadline,
the Commission agreed to add an additional meeting on September 4 to continue their
discussion. Ms. Beard will follow-up with staff to provide for public notice and scheduling
of Commissioners and a meeting room.
OTHER
There were no other items for discussion.
Chair Grant adjourned the meeting at 9:15 pm.
Future Commission Meeting Schedule
Wednesday, September 4, 2019 7:00 pm — Commission Meeting
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 7:00 pm — Commission Meeting
ATTACHMENTS
A — Summary of Special Districts' Compensation
B — Community Survey Results
C — Summary of Community Survey Results
D — Council Survey Results
E — Comparison Graph of Council/Council President Pay Cities 30,000 to 50,000
Population
City of Edmonds Salary Commission 8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment A
Special District CEO and Elected Officials Compensaion
Port District
School District
Hospital District
District FTE's 31.00
2,289.00
8.00
CEO Compensation
Current Year CEO Salary
$ 188,608
$ 281,184
$ 189,425
Prior Year CEO Salary
$ 180,152
$ 272,729
$ 181,280
Prior CEO Incentive Pay
None
None
None
CEO Benefits
Paid Medical, Dental, Vision
Yes
Yes
Yes
Life Insurance
Yes
Yes (annuity)
Yes
Long Term Disability
Yes
N/A*
Yes
Short Term Disability
No
N/A
Yes
State Retirement Benefits
Yes
N/A
N/A*
Flexible Benefits Plan
Yes
N/A
Yes
Deferred Compensation
Yes
N/A
3% into 457 deferred comp
plus 3% match to 401a
Health and Wellness Benefit
Yes
N/A
No
Vacation
Yes
N/A
Yes
Paid Holidays
Yes
N/A
Yes
Training and Education Reimbursement
Yes
N/A
N/A
Car Allowance/Travel
Yes
Yes
N/A
Cell Phone Reimbursement
Yes
N/A
N/A
Sick Leave
Yes
N/A
Yes
Sick Leave Cash Out at Termination
Yes
N/A
No
Participation in Professional Association
Yes
N/A
N/A
*N/A - No Answer Provided
City of Edmonds Salary Commission 8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment A
Special District CEO and Elected Officials Compensaion
Port District
School District
Hospital District
Commission/Board Compensation
Commissioner/Board Compensation and
Related Maximums
Per RCW - $285 per month plus
$128/Official Port Meeting with
Annual Maximum of $12,288
$50 per day for attending board
meetings or other official duties
up to $4,800 per year
$128/per day of service up to
Annual Maximum of $12,288
Commission/Board Benefits
Paid Medical, Dental, Vision, RX
Yes
May purchase medical/dental if
exceeding hours as defined by
the State Employee Benefits
Board
May purchase if exceeding
hours as defined by the State
Employee Benefits Board
Life Insurance
Yes up to $35,000
No
No
Long Term Disability
No
No
No
State Retirement Benefits
No
No
No
Flexible Benefits Plan
No
No
No
Deferred Compensation
No
No
No
Health and Wellness Benefit
Yes
No
No
Vacation
No
No
No
Paid Holidays
No
No
No
Training and Education Reimbursement
No
Yes
Yes
Car Allowance/Travel
No
Yes
Yes
Cell Phone Reimbursement
No
No
No
Sick Leave
No
No
No
Sick Leave Cash Out at Termination
No
No
No
Computer Allowance
Yes
No
No
Approximate Number of Commission/Board
Meetings per Year
24 per year plus other meetings
involving Port Officials
20-21 regular board meetings
per year pluse 3 retreats and
study sessions up to once per
month (total up to
approximately 32 total)
Average of 40 meetings per
year per commissioner
*N/A - No Answer Provided
City of Edmonds Salary Commission 8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
2019 Salary Commission Survey - Community Responses
Note: Responses have been edited for clarity (only spelling and grammatical errors have been corrected)
Question 1: Do you agree or disagree with linking Council compensation to some measure of
accountability such as consistent meeting attendance?
Answered (100)/Skipped (9)
Do you agree or disagree with linking Council
compensation to some measure of accountability
such as consistent meeting attendance?
100
90
80 72
c 70
a
v 60
s0
0
v
40
E 30
17
Z 20 11
10 -
0
Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree
72% Agree (72 responses) / 11 % Neutral (11 Responses) / 17% Disagree (17 responses)
Question 2: If you agree that an accountability measure should be factored into the Salary
Commission's criteria for setting Council compensation, what measures other than meeting
attendance would you suggest?
Answered (72)/Skipped (37)
1. Number of events/ representing Edmonds equal to or on par with rest of council (outside of
council meeting.) 8/18/2019 8:09 PM
2. Set Salary Would benefit council members to spend more time engaging with public and being
more informed 8/18/2019 5:30 PM
3. Meeting with public, communication with taxpayers, effective work with other council
members. 8/18/2019 3:30 PM
4. Some measure of establishing and maintaining City Operations within a reasonable budget
8/18/2019 3:04 PM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
5. That all members take a fair share of active participation in necessary committees, commissions,
or whatever activities are considered to fall under the responsibilities of the City Council, given
that they are adequately qualified for whatever task they engage in. 8/18/2019 2:41 PM
6. (1) Number of part time hours anticipated/planned (most part time jobs are based upon an
hourly accountability wage). (2) Specific job duties (i.e. besides meeting attendance, are they
required to do some sort of follow-up action(s), any presentations, number of projects assigned
to the member to include a written description of the projects, time frame to get it done, etc.).
8/18/2019 2:26 PM
7. 1 think it is very difficult to measure engagement and all the research that is done by each
Council member. It is hard to know what drives decision making; personal gain or citizen gain.
8/18/2019 9:01 AM
8. Participation in committees and other studies commissioned by the Council. 8/17/2019 2:23 PM
9. Being familiar with the city, its merchants, its business, being involved in the community. Hard
to measure, but I have never seen any city council ask us business owners for input on any
subject, even when it affects us. I don't see any of them frequent Edmonds businesses.
8/17/2019 12:11 PM
10. Metric for Actions proposed by the member that are passed by the council. Makes sure they are
getting things done. 8/17/2019 8:31 AM
11. Develop an appraisal form that would be administered once per year for each council member.
Could be administered by the mayor or a small public panel who attend meetings Review what
other similar size cities and councils are doing to get ideas. Criteria could include communication
skills, timely follow up on assigned tasks, peer respect. This would be a difficult process so I
would think looking at other cities processes is important to do as phase 1. May be too difficult
to be objective or may discover other cities have had some great success stories.
8/17/2019 6:58 AM
12. Job performance. 8/17/2019 6:56 AM
13. Number of community meetings held per month or year, attendance at city council meeting
8/16/2019 11:04 PM
14. Prompt response to email and other forms of communication. 8/16/2019 10:28 PM
15. Budget management. 8/16/2019 9:50 PM
16. Attendance at Q&A type community events, office hours for community to communicate.
8/16/2019 6:12 PM
17. Attendance is the only measurable one I can think of right now. 8/16/2019 4:31 PM
18. Community event attendance. 8/16/2019 1:04 PM
19. Open door policy access of the people in the community to the official's ear.
8/16/2019 11:11 AM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission 8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
20. Docking pay when not met. 8/16/2019 11:00 AM
21. Their actions should have results, not just talk. 8/16/2019 9:39 AM
22. Work on compromises so things get done instead of pushed aside for months.
8/16/2019 8:13 AM
23. Idealistically, it would be great to implement measures that incentivize electeds to work
together to achieve consensus- but tying isolated criteria to compensation (other than a basic
metric like attendance) will probably create unintended consequences. Stick and carrot
approaches that include ties to compensation run the risk of creating biased policy results to the
detriment of Edmonds. The voters decide in the long-term. In the short-term, why not consider
an ongoing report card or dashboard of publically available 'performance metrics' for each
council member that are developed by council, the Mayor and some commission -representation
of neutrals? 8/16/2019 7:17 AM
24. Term limits. 8/16/2019 12:11 AM
25. Overall Hours Worked. 8/15/2019 5:54 PM
26. Event attendance, attendance at other relevant stakeholder meetings, participation on
committees 8/15/2019 3:15 PM
27. A reduction in their salary for every meeting they miss. 8/15/2019 12:29 PM
28. Interaction with the community of Edmonds and seeing the issues that current residents are
facing. 8/15/2019 10:47 AM
29. 1 am not sure about the rest of these, but Council members should not be paid if they don't
show up. (I don't get paid if I don't show up at work.) 8/15/2019 8:20 AM
30. No other measures. 8/14/2019 10:56 PM
31. Popularity polling, logged hours? 8/14/2019 9:15 PM
32. Accountability that the 'research' that is directed by the city council/mayor, is accurate. That the
research presents the best option for the budget allowed. If the budget is not within 95 % of the
project's allotted funding, then it should be clearly stated why it is not within the budget.
8/14/2019 9:11 PM
33. Events that are promoting Edmonds. 8/14/2019 8:05 PM
34. Consistently Creating a Culture of Accountability and responsibly; use their resources to provide
services that meet the needs of constituents. Display moral ethics, honesty and information
decision making. Fiscal responsibility; if a grant or major expense is needed that will cost the
constituents to pay more in taxes speak to them first; these have impacts on low income and,
homeless residents. Think about all the citizens before making a decision that will cause an
upheaval. Display good ethics. 8/14/2019 7:50 PM
35. No opinion 8/14/2019 7:36 PM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
36. Meeting attendance and also required attendance at some city events. 8/14/2019 6:30 PM
37. Follow thru. 8/14/2019 6:20 PM
38. Accountability is difficult to measure. Even meeting attendance is not a good picture, as what if
a Council person has a medical issue that doesn't enable them to attend a lot of meetings. Then
you would be discriminating against them. 8/14/2019 6:01 PM
39. Being present for and voting on proposals that could directly result in increased costs to
Edmonds residents, or on issues directly affecting/changing the culture of Edmonds and its
environs (as opposed to voting on minor changes in policy, rules or regulations having minimal
public impact) 8/14/2019 5:59 PM
40. Willingness to work with others to reach solutions. Fiscally responsible Nonpartisan agenda.
8/14/2019 5:55 PM
41. Attendance and availability to constituents to answer questions and concerns.
8/14/2019 5:21 PM
42. Council Committee chairs should be a little more of a bump same as truce for Council President.
The measure is selection by peers to lead -- Some measure for public engagement
events/constituency contact as in an annual report to citizens by each Council Member posted
on the city's website --Some sort of Teamwork/collaboration measure such as Council presented
initiative that receives a unanimous vote. 8/14/2019 5:20 PM
43. Fairly detailed accounting of time spent. Most professionals do that (drs., attys, accountants,
engineers, etc.) and they should also. Btw, most professionals hate billable hours; but, they still
do it. 8/14/2019 4:22 PM
44.. <no answer given> 8/14/2019 2:37 PM
45. Attendance at regular meetings (missing a certain percentage would therefore result in a
diminished salary with potential to lose position), and attendance at commission meetings and
other city events. Also perhaps a "responsiveness" metric. Like are they answering their emails,
replying to constituents, and coming prepared to meetings. Are they following the policies and
procedures when in meetings and with their public communications. 8/14/2019 2:03 PM
46. If a minimum number of meetings are missed, then pay should be docked. If dial -in is the
prevalent way to meet, then pay should be docked. 8/14/20191:10 PM
47. Community involvement. 8/14/2019 12:46 PM
48. N/A. 8/14/2019 12:40 PM
49. 1 would oppose any other accountability metric other than attendance. I think elected officials
need some freedom to decide how best to do the job. For the commission to limit that beyond
mere attendance begins to invade the province of the electorate. 8/14/2019 11:43 AM
50. Council, Committee, Public Hearing on City Issues attendance. They have a vote on these public
issues and should be at those meetings. 8/14/2019 9:54 AM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission 8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
51. 1 would oppose any other measures. 8/14/2019 9:43 AM
52. None. 8/14/2019 9:42 AM
53. Reports to council on activities 8/14/2019 9:38 AM
54. Non -conflict of interest statement for city contracts. 8/14/2019 8:57 AM
55. Don't agree. Accountability is built into the election process. 8/14/2019 8:13 AM
56. Keeping costs down per resident YoY - Budget deficit YoY results in pay decrease; budget
surplus may result in a bonus - Economic growth Note each requires decision making and
controls to ensure no gaming can occur. Meaning don't tax more then have a surplus.
8/14/2019 8:10 AM
57. Community Engagement and communication 8/14/2019 8:05 AM
58. Highly important - compensation paid to other City Councils of a comparable size to Edmonds -
on the west side of the Cascades. 8/14/2019 7:49 AM
59. Additional accountability should be linked to overall salary increase. 8/14/2019 6:20 AM
60. 1 would look at what other cities are doing. 8/14/2019 6:16 AM
61. Voting in support of achieving established goals. 8/14/2019 6:05 AM
62. Some kind of reporting, journaling or? Just to make each accountable for listening/engaging.
Doesn't have to be a big deal. 8/14/2019 5:01 AM
63. N/A. 8/14/2019 12:15 AM
64. 1 would prefer the Council be informed and do homework on issues instead. If you are going to
have some kind of accountability measure it should be based on how accessible they make
themselves to the public (Townhall meetings, walk and talk, etc.). They need to get out and
listen to the Citizens. 8/13/2019 11:41 PM
65. Are you attempting to get more candidates to run or less? If you want less set up time cards.
8/13/2019 9:03 PM
66. Council members are only allowed a few unexcused absences and if the exceed that there
should be some consequence. They should also be committed to attending committee meeting
for which they are liaisons. 8/13/2019 5:53 PM
67. Setting up a minimum number of required hours for coffee talks, town halls, or other outreach
with the community. If this requirement is instituted, the monthly compensation rate should be
increased. 8/13/2019 4:49 PM
68. Council members should convene mandatory public meetings for their constituents at least 6
times per year. 8/13/2019 4:43 PM
69. 1 don't believe that council members should be compensated financially or receive any benefits.
8/13/2019 3:54 PM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
70. Lowered expense ratios. Meeting deadlines on time. 8/13/2019 1:48 PM
71. Reporting on meetings attended to the rest of council/public in either written or verbal reports
at council meetings. 8/13/2019 1:18 PM
72. Hour timesheet- 8/13/2019 1:12 PM
Question 3: The Council President has additional responsibilities such as working with the Mayor and
staff to set the meeting agendas and chairing the weekly Council meetings. Currently, the Council
President receives $200 per month over the Council's base pay. Would you agree that this amount is
commensurate with their added responsibilities?
Answered (98)/Skipped (11)
The Council President has additional
responsibilities such as working with the Mayor
and staff to set the meeting agendas and chairing
the weekly Council meetings. Currently, the
Council President receives $200 per month over
the Council's base pay. Would
98
88
78
v
68
58
0 58
v
48
40
38
E
:3 0
z 28
18 VO 8
-2
Agree Disagree
59.18% Agree (58 responses) / 40.82% Disagree (40 responses)
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
If you disagree, please indicate how much the Council President should be paid for his/her duties?
44 responses
1. Council President sets the agenda for Council discussions. Measuring how well CP keeps the
public informed of planned discussion and other forms of combinations with the public should
way into the salary process. 8/18/2019 3:30 PM
2. 1 am only stating disagree to note that there is not nearly enough information given in the
question to provide an informed answer. 8/18/2019 3:04 PM
3. $2,000.00 per month - I don't know --should be professionally analyzed. 8/18/2019 9:01 AM
4. 1 would say at least $500. More per month as this has to be much more time consuming in a job
that is already a time robber. Also chairing those meetings is a much more responsible position
that just sitting there and responding and requires more skill at managing the meeting process
correctly. Personally, I think our whole system needs to be scrapped and go to Strong Council
and Weak Mayor system. 8/17/2019 11:53 AM
5. 500. 8/17/2019 7:59 AM
6. 1 would review other cities council presidents as a guideline for starters. 8/17/2019 6:58 AM
7. 500. 8/17/2019 6:56 AM
8. Where is the "neither" option. There is not enough information provided in #3 to give an
informed response. 8/16/2019 2:12 PM
9. 80.000 Per year........ 8/16/2019 11:00 AM
10. The difficulty of the position and time necessary to work with the Mayor and 'herd' council
members should be reflected in a fair compensation premium. What do other similar sized cities
in Washington do? Would a 30-35% salary premium be appropriate? 8/16/2019 7:17 AM
11. 300. 8/16/2019 12:11 AM
12. 500. 8/15/2019 1:47 PM
13. The question is: What is the commitment of the mayor and council to work for the best success
in run. 8/14/2019 9:11 PM
14. But only if the information needed for the Council meeting is to rest of the council members
more than 3 + days in advance so all can be informed and effect at the meeting.
8/14/2019 7:50 PM
15. Don't know, but definitely more. 8/14/2019 7:36 PM
16. They should be paid the same as all other Council people. 8/14/2019 6:01 PM
17. 400. 8/14/2019 5:55 PM
18. 1 think allowing for 400-600$ additional (if they are meeting the basis of attendance and
responsiveness). 8/14/2019 2:03 PM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission 8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
19. It should be much higher. 8/14/2019 1:10 PM
20. At least $500. 8/14/2019 11:08 AM
21. It appears low however I don't personally approve of the antics of the current Council President
so giving her more money seems offensive. 8/14/2019 10:11 AM
22. N/A. 8/14/2019 9:54 AM
23. $400. 8/14/2019 9:43 AM
24. $500. 8/14/2019 9:42 AM
25. 1000.00 8/14/2019 8:57 AM
26. Council Members are underpaid in general, including the Council President. 8/14/2019 8:15 AM
27. I don't know, but $200 doesn't seem like enough for the added work. 8/14/2019 8:13 AM
28. Not extra compensation needed. 8/14/2019 8:05 AM
29. 15-20%. 8/14/2019 6:20 AM
30. Depends on how much additional time they spend. Additional amount should be commensurate
with nu. Bet if additional hours. 8/14/2019 6:16 AM
31. $300. 8/14/2019 5:01 AM
32. 500 per month over base. 8/14/2019 12:15 AM
33. 750. 8/13/2019 10:14 PM
34. Seems an extra burden on normal duties as that person has to account for all Council members
and deal with the Mayor and media. 8/13/2019 9:03 PM
35. $500. 8/13/2019 4:49 PM
36. No extra compensation. 8/13/2019 4:43 PM
37. $300. 8/13/2019 4:14 PM
38. Nothing. 8/13/2019 3:54 PM
39. $300. 8/13/2019 3:28 PM
40. 500 per month. 8/13/2019 1:48 PM
41. $1000. 8/13/2019 1:35 PM
42. If it is over and average of 13 hours a month then the rate should be increased.
8/13/2019 1:18 PM
43. They are always having to defend Council when Mayor picks on them. 8/13/2019 1:12 PM
44. $400 per month extra. 8/13/2019 10:38 AM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
Question 4: What other factors should the Commission consider when setting elected officials'
compensation?
Answered (72) Skipped (37)
1. Way too much time and responsibilities for a $1k a month or so salary. If we paid a livable wage
could attract larger pool of council candidates and also allow residents who want to 100%
commit to public service and not try to juggle other job. With the current salary structure we
tend to attract retired member of our community or independently wealthy people who desire
to serve. Also I noticed nonprofit background people tend to be attracted to council, not sure of
connection maybe low compensation positions are nothing new. These people are making
multimillion dollar decisions for our community and we pay them $1k or so a month and expect
them to be 100% informed it's quite shameful! Pay them $85-$100k require them to hold open
houses quarterly with the public and improve our local representative governance in my mind!
8/18/2019 5:30 PM
The goal of elections is to get the best people to work on city govt. Pay that reflects the work and
time required to do the job well should be considered. The mayor is paid more than $50/ hour,
directors are paid about $70/hr. and council should be paid at least 75 to 80 percent of what the
mayor is paid. Pay well and we can attract the best people for the job. 8/18/2019 3:30 PM
3. As stated previously, the ability to establish and maintain a reasonable budget for City
Operations. 8/18/2019 3:04 PM
4. 1 was unable to find a clear statement of expected responsibilities and duties for Council
members, so I don't really know of any that would be easy to quantify. I do have strong opinion
on what I believe the ethical and mindful responsibilities include; see 5. Below. 8/18/2019 2:41
PM
5. How much time they spend working on council related items and the quality of deliverables.
8/18/2019 1:45 PM
6. Research time, community engagement. 8/18/2019 9:01 AM
7. Limit salaries to current levels plus any increase in the Consumer Price Index (i.e., cost of living
raises only). 8/17/2019 2:23 PM
8. Reasonable compensation according/comparing to other cities. 8/17/2019 12:11 PM
9. You obviously have to look at comparable compensation in comparable cities. 8/17/201911:53
AM
10. Should be in line with other cities of similar size. 8/17/2019 8:31 AM
11. 1 would look at your other elected officials are making in our surrounding areas. 8/17/2019 7:59
AM
12. Attendance, and an annual appraisal review would be a good starting point. 8/17/2019 6:58 AM
13. Mayor's salary is sufficient council should be higher than now maybe 20000 plus their medical.
8/17/2019 6:56 AM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
14. Consistent with surrounding cities salaries and compare with other cities in Washington with
similar population. 8/16/2019 11:04 PM
15. Don't play this match five cities the same size game. It lets everyone always go up, up, and up.
Look at local salaries, subtract 20%, and use that. This isn't a job for life, this is a job for a time.
8/16/2019 10:28 PM
16. Cost of living, that salaries are in line with other cities in the area, that there's accountability to
constituents. 8/16/2019 6:12 PM
17. Comparable salary figures in similar sized local nearby government. We need to offer a good
salary to attract good candidates, and they then should demonstrate accountability for their
task assignments. 8/16/2019 6:03 PM
18. I'd like to be able to measure actual accomplishments commiserate to pay. 12K + benefits is a
ton of money for the amount of work most of these people put into this job. 8/16/2019 4:31 PM
19. Real statistical data comparisons within the state of Washington and the U.S. average. For within
the state use statistical comparable of city size, class, budget, etc. It is highly likely there are
readily available resources on best practices and guidance in determining a mayor's salary.
8/16/2019 2:12 PM
20. That this is more or less a volunteer position and shouldn't be their job. 8/16/2019 1:04 PM
21. Service ethic vs ego. What the community actually needs, like smooth streets and a Pike Place
Market esk permanent famers market, the return of unique features (antique mall) vs stupid
expenditures, like personal salary increases, viaduct and parking studies. Are the officials serving
the community as their 1st priority? 8/16/2019 11:11 AM
22. The taxpayers should not pay for family members Medical for any official making $80,000 a year
or more. 8/16/2019 11:00 AM
23. Results. Do what is promised and wanted by the people. 8/16/2019 9:39 AM
24. Community public service volunteerism. 8/16/2019 8:13 AM
25. Attendance at group trainings/consensus-building activities. 8/16/2019 7:17 AM
26. Find the average Part time wages to other sized cities comparable to Edmonds in NW who have
same type of government. 8/16/2019 12:11 AM
27. The amount of time they actually spend on city matters. 8/15/2019 12:29 PM
28. Experience working within the Government as well as the level of education that person has
received. 8/15/2019 10:47 AM
29. Public vote. 8/14/2019 10:56 PM
30. 1 think having more pay for longer serving members could be good because if they are serving
longer, they are being re-elected, which means people like what they are doing. 8/14/2019 9:15
PM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
31. The success of the council and the Mayor to work together for the best solution, the best
resolution of the issues that need to be resolved to make the money invested worth the
endeavor. 8/14/2019 9:11 PM
32. Any projects that might require additional time & meetings beyond regular council meetings.
8/14/2019 8:05 PM
33. Community involvement Personal conduct. 8/14/2019 8:02 PM
34. Time involved in being effective and most importantly "Informed" Not being informed means
delays and quarrels. 8/14/2019 7:50 PM
35. Just off the top of my head, maybe fixing their full time value at 80% of the mayor's pay, and
then adjusting that by the number of hours assumed that the job entails. I.E. if 15 hours/wk. is
what the job is assumed to entail, then .375 x 80% of mayor's salary. (.375 is 15 divided by 40)
8/14/2019 7:36 PM
36. They should survey other cities of the same size to see what they pay. 8/14/2019 6:01 PM
37. Reimbursement for appropriate, required travel costs and expenses. 8/14/2019 5:59 PM
38. Comparison with other similar cities. 8/14/2019 5:55 PM
39. The constraints of the Town budget. 8/14/2019 5:21 PM
40. Average household income in the city. 8/14/2019 2:37 PM
41. Is cell phone use and internet compensated? Attendance at special meetings/emergency
meetings etc. 8/14/2019 2:03 PM
42. That less than $20,000 means the good ones will not consider a job that takes some 60-plus
hours per week. No one will give up a career to help on this salary. And if in a career, this council
job will be bad for the career: highly distracting to try to work with the council needs. The
council has been fighting for so many years, this really hurts. 8/14/20191:10 PM
43. Background and racial identity. 8/14/2019 12:40 PM
44. Offer Part time City employees the SAME health care benefits as the city council. It's a joke they
get health care and part time city employees have to pay $300-400/month if they want to be
covered on city medical insurance when they work just as hard as the council members and
make around the same monthly amount. Treat all city employees fairly, not just elected council.
Or, do not offer them special health care benefits and offer them the same that part time city
employees are given. 8/14/2019 11:54 AM
45. The Commission should consider that if pay is kept low, these elected positions will be mere
stepping stones to other political positions. The higher the pay, the more likely we are to attract
candidates that will continue to work for our city rather than seek higher office. 8/14/2019
11:43 AM
46. The volume of info the council has to review each week currently the amount they review is not
worth the pay however it does seem apparent from the questions some council members ask
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
that they do not read their packets. Perhaps their pay should be reduced if the ask more than 1
question that is answered in the packet :) 8/14/2019 11:08 AM
47. Similar size neighboring cities compensation plans. 8/14/2019 10:11 AM
48. Amount of time required in meetings, committees, etc. 8/14/2019 9:43 AM
49. Cost of living in Edmonds and time devoted to the job. 8/14/2019 9:42 AM
50. Number of actual council and related meeting hours. 8/14/2019 8:57 AM
51. Council members are so underpaid now that "accountability measures" seem inappropriate to
me. 8/14/2019 8:15 AM
52. Serving the city should be its own compensation. Council salaries are fine where they are.
8/14/2019 8:13 AM
53. Mayor's salary seems low to me. Has it been compared to other jobs with similar levels of
management responsibility that are not elected positions? 8/14/2019 8:01 AM
54. Large city budget and active residents creates high workload, critical thinking, and high
responsibility so much higher pay justified. 8/14/2019 6:20 AM
55. Exactly how many hours they spend during average month? 8/14/2019 6:16 AM
56. Do the elected officials feel more compensation is necessary? 8/14/2019 6:05 AM
57. None. Seems like compensation levels are appropriate. 8/14/2019 5:54 AM
58. The usual... cost of living, insurance etc. 8/14/2019 5:01 AM
59. Lasting positive accomplishments. 8/14/2019 12:15 AM
60. How much time is involved in being a council member? What would the hourly pay be?
8/13/2019 11:41 PM
61. 1 would look at compensation the same way I would look at compensating a corporate board
member. These officials are acting on behalf of our citizens and making professional decisions
for our city. Council members should be in the $50K - $60K/ year range - council president
should be $25K above that. 8/13/2019 10:14 PM
62. Hours dedicated to the job - some seem to be prepared -others seem to skate. 8/13/2019 9:03
PM
63. Number of hours expected; personal costs for travel, equipment etc. 8/13/2019 5:53 PM
64. 1 believe that preparation for meetings should be factored in, but I am not certain on how that
would be measured. 8/13/2019 4:49 PM
65. Exhibiting minimum competency qualifications to be in a position to exercise sound judgement.
8/13/2019 4:43 PM
66. As I said, I don't believe they should be compensated at all. 8/13/2019 3:54 PM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
67. Most importantly, hours involved and how it impacts their ability to hold down another job - if it
takes away from their day to day employment that should be recognized in their council salary.
8/13/2019 3:28 PM
68. Total City revenue generated from taxes in comparison with other cities with similar revenue
and comparable pay for same positions. 8/13/2019 1:48 PM
69. Time commitments and potential private sector compensation for similar roles. 8/13/2019 1:35
PM
70. Expected hours of work each month, meetings during working hours that would require
someone to miss their other paying positions. 8/13/2019 1:18 PM
71. Time spent working or being prepared -some folks don't seem prepared sometimes. 8/13/2019
1:12 PM
72. What neighboring cities pay - not Seattle
Question 5: Do you have any other thoughts?
Answered (61) Skipped (48)
1. Pay them more $ need to attract more diverse candidates. 8/18/2019 5:30 PM
2. We want to attract the very best people to lead and manage our govt. We should pay our elected
to do the job and then we should expect them to put in the time and energy to engage the
public whom they serve. 8/18/2019 3:30 PM
3. It would be great if council members could somehow be held accountable to be a positive, rather
than divisive, force on the council, and not be rewarded for disruptive behavior. I also believe
that the members were elected to enact and ensure that what is desired by the existing citizens
of Edmonds, is carried out as much as possible, not using their position as an opportunity to
advance their own pet desires or agendas --both political and/or social. People who came to live
in Edmonds came here because it is a special, certain kind of town and environment in which to
live, and unrealistic ideals which will change it to something different, are not welcome by, from
my knowledge base, the majority of long-term residents, and any council member who attempts
to force such changes down the throats of the residents because it is what THEY want, should
not be rewarded in any way for such behavior. Last time I checked, we lived in what is supposed
to be a democracy, and the uncivil attitudes and behaviors espoused by too many modern-day
so-called civil servants, is reprehensible and inexcusable. Civility and ability to listen to what
those who have lived here because of what Edmonds is, and it is not a bad place just because a
few rotten apples crop up now and then, is paramount and any other attitude towards power -
grabbing and trying to enact undesired changes, should not be tolerated. The current national
trend to go against the will and desire of the majority, to satisfy the minority, which then makes
the majority miserable and ruins their hard-won lives, is not the right way to fix things. It is
HYPOCRISY to try to say that issues involving people's rights should be solved by turning around
and infringing and impinging on the rights of an even larger number of innocent people. This is
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
what needs to be avoided by our Council at all costs. There should be more care given to how
proposed changes impact the seniors who bring history and grace and manners and good will,
for the most part, to the city. They should not be taxed out of their homes, nor have their
comfortable neighborhoods which they moved into for the way they were zoned, suddenly
changed into high -density cram -a -lots. The whole world can't live in Edmonds. Any more than I
can afford to go live on the beach in Monterey, because I don't have the money (especially not
after retirement, on a fixed income), people who don't happen to have the wherewithal to live
in Edmonds, don't deserve to have opportunity (paid for by taxpayers who worked hard all their
lives) handed to them any more than I expect to have a waterfront home handed to me in
Monterey (I don't want to live in Monterey, I am using it as an example --I want to continue to
live in Edmonds and am terrified I will be taxed out of it). Logic, fairness, and REALITY need to
rule. I worked hard and saved money and was able to get a modest, comfortable home in
Edmonds. It is reality that not everyone gets to live in Edmonds. If they did, it would not be
Edmonds any more. If someone wants to live in the mess that Kirkland and/or Ballard became,
then let them go there. I pray our city leaders will not screw with the thing that brings visitor
dollars here, the unique town that is Edmonds, by trying to change the core city for the sake of
unrealistically idealistic social concepts. There are other ways to help people, without stomping
all over other people. The desires of the majority, while it is still the majority here in downtown
Edmonds, is what Council members should be enacting. Not their own personal ideals which
override the majority's wishes for the sake of making themselves feel self-righteous and
important. Figure out how to give reasonable help to those who are TRULY IN NEED, and make
sure there is accountability, in a way that doesn't penalize those who have done nothing wrong
except work hard and be frugal at no harm to anyone else, and now deserve the right to
modestly but comfortably enjoy our still -lovely (for the moment) little town to live out their
lives. Shame on those who aren't mindful of ALL, not just the few. As I said, it is hypocrisy to say
you want to help people, but help the minority by stepping on the innocent hands of those who
are providing the means (i.e., we contributed positively to society and have always paid our
taxes) to do so. Find another way that steps on no hands, then there will be no hypocrisy. As
regards the Council, then, I would love if hypocrisy was not compensated or rewarded (or
allowed) in any way. 8/18/2019 2:41 PM
4. These people are elected by the citizens of Edmonds to represent us. They should be paid as
professionals and their salary should reflect more respect by the City. They do a lot of research,
spend a lot of time meeting and communicating with citizens and care about their
representation. It is demeaning and inappropriate to pay them so little. Also, it puts too much
importance on the Mayor's position because that salary is weighted with too much importance.
The Council members play an integral role in representing and making decisions for the citizens
of Edmonds and should be paid in a more equal stature as the Mayor. 8/18/2019 9:01 AM
5. Withhold any raise until the union contract negotiations for City of Edmonds employees are
complete. 8/17/2019 2:23 PM
6. 1 would like to see more community involvement and visibility of council members in the city.
8/17/2019 12:11 PM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
7. 1 think we need to start paying the council people a decent salary for the amount of time involved
in the task, especially the President. Better yet, I'd recommend another look at changing to
Council manager form of government to get the Mayor out of the policy business totally, with a
good and true Civil Service System for city employment based on merit, not whether or not the
Mayor likes them. 8/17/2019 11:53 AM
8. No. 8/17/2019 8:31 AM
9. 1 think councilmembers are underpaid and should receive more compensation. I also believe the
mayor should have a higher salary. 8/17/2019 7:59 AM
10. None. 8/17/2019 6:58 AM
11. 1 love accountability measures for any elected public office. Thanks for allowing us to provide
input! 8/16/2019 11:04 PM
12. No. 8/16/2019 6:12 PM
13. 1 think we should have a full time City Manager form of government which provides expertise
and consistency, with highly trained employee who understands government and practices over
the long haul. Mayoral salary would become more of an elevated Council salary and not a full
time position. 8/16/2019 6:03 PM
14. Most professional survey findings Include the limitations of the survey including specific groups
were targeted (if known, how many within each of those responded), when different groups
were notified and how, if the survey was sent directly to some residents, and if so how many,
and if known percentage of those who responded, other ways residents were informed of the
survey. Any demographics available of who responded. Also, consider recommending changing
part of the ordinance, in that there is built in bias in the timing of gathering information for
salaries for these positions. At a minimum, the primaries have narrowed down candidates to
specific individuals. That alone, will be in residents' minds under the current ordinance (if the
timing is not changed). To decrease even subconscious bias would be to have the decision for
the coming budget (whatever future year) completed before the "traditional" timing of
potential candidates filing for the primaries. I say traditional because we know someone could
begin running early. So there has to be some common sense and reasoning. I will stop there for
now. 8/16/2019 2:12 PM
15. 1 think that positions like this should not be compensated at a level that allows them to be
career politicians. 8/16/2019 1:04 PM
16. 1 think the Edmonds voters needed to boot the incumbents and anyone currently working on the
council. The election results are disappointing to me. To have to hire someone to teach them
how to communicate nicely with each other is just sad. The Westgate and post office
developments: Sad. The cheap "fix" of the street overlooking the ferry dock is also both ugly and
sad. I also compare a visit to the open light concept of Mukilteo's City Hall with the thick bullet
proof glass and overly protocoled Edmonds' City Hall. I find Edmonds in need of an attitude
adjustment. Serve your residents, not yourselves. 8/16/2019 11:11 AM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
17. Pay volunteers more and no elected official is worth more than a hundred thousand a year
8/16/2019 11:00 AM
18. Mayor salary is high enough, especially since incoming mayor has yet to do anything. 8/16/2019
9:39 AM
19. It would be interesting to request (and post) council member's individual position statements on
this issue. I'd like to hear each of their thoughts, depth of thinking and editorializing on the pros
and cons of whether to/how to implement such policy options. 8/16/2019 7:17 AM
20. They probably should be better compensated in 2020 and beyond but tie it to the inflation
rate/CPI bi yearly for a set number of years. Kind of like a union wage agreement — contract.
8/16/2019 12:11 AM
21. None. 8/15/2019 10:47 AM
22. No. 8/14/2019 10:56 PM
23. No. 8/14/2019 9:15 PM
24. How are the important issues of the city of Edmonds determined? There is the need for school
funding, better roads, support of the business community, support of the police, fire
departments and community spirit to work together; knowing the best possible solution has
been achieved with the money available for that project. It is easier to spend money than to
acquire it. 8/14/2019 9:11 PM
25. No. 8/14/2019 8:05 PM
26. 1 want my council to be involve with all of Edmonds!! Seems that there is no one who looks out
for anything beyond downtown. Also consider what projects are across departments, and
commissions. Decisions are being made that run counter to housing issues and homeless. E.g.
Bonds for the park (will cost everyone more in taxes), building policies that would have
eliminated housing for people on lower income). Think the whole project through; look at the
requirements before just jumping to a conclusion. 8/14/2019 7:50 PM
27. They seem underpaid relative to what they do and what their responsibilities are. It seems there
may be qualified candidates who may not run because they can't afford to work for close to
free. 8/14/2019 7:36 PM
28. 1 think you're going down a slippery slope by trying to pay Council people by accountability
measures. Who has to determine whether or not they met the measures? A staff person who
answers to the Council? That puts them in an unfair position, especially with how some of the
Council treat the staff. A flat amount that all Council people get equally is the way it should be.
8/14/2019 6:01 PM
29. As a 10-year resident of Edmonds, and after working as a manager in public agencies for over 25
years, I wish there were some way to assess a penalty for the lack of public decorum/nastiness -
and lack of support for City employees - that some Council members have demonstrated at
public meetings in the past few years. City employees can be disciplined - even fired - for
unprofessional conduct, while some of our Council members fail to demonstrate
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
professionalism in their duties. I realize that is very hard to define or quantify - and unrealistic
for me to expect some measure of penalty for their unprofessional conduct. Just know,
however, that there are many of us "out here" who are really tired of some of the bad behavior
and lack of support for the efforts of City employees demonstrated by our Council members
while they try to flaunt their power or score political points. Kudos to you, if you can find a way
to evaluate and address that. 8/14/2019 5:59 PM
30. No. 8/14/2019 2:37 PM
31. Workload forecasting. Are the council members creating more work for staff instead of
accomplishing tasks themselves? What is their "footprint" on staff time? 8/14/2019 2:03 PM
32. The minimum should be $35,000 per year for a council member. 8/14/2019 1:10 PM
33. Make Edmonds more diverse. With having more woman and more people of color encouraged
to run for city council or even mayor. 8/14/2019 12:40 PM
34. The Mayor is paid more than they should be. You should offer part time City employees the
SAME health care benefits as the part time city council. It's a joke they get health care and part
time city employees have to pay $300-400/month if they want to be covered on city medical
insurance when they work just as hard as the council members and make around the same
monthly amount. Treat all city employees fairly, not just elected council. Or, do not offer them
special health care benefits and offer them the same that part time city employees are given.
8/14/2019 11:54 AM
35. Thank you to the commissioners for volunteering in what I'm sure can be a challenging role!
8/14/2019 11:43 AM
36. Council should get more money, at least $1,500/m and Benefits for their entire family it would
be nice to know how much they receive for Meetings they have with citizens or staff. Is it $50
per meeting or per day? 8/14/2019 11:08 AM
37. For salary commission? No. For council? I'd love for 4 out of the 7 to go. Unfortunately the 3 that
are civilized, productive council members are the ones leaving. 8/14/2019 10:11 AM
38. 1 think an increase is warranted, given the amount of time required to do the job. 8/14/2019
9:43 AM
39. Base pay for city council should be at least $1500-$2000 a month. 8/14/2019 9:42 AM
40. AWC has a salary guide. 8/14/2019 9:38 AM
41. No. 8/14/2019 8:57 AM
42. All Council Members should be paid more. 8/14/2019 8:15 AM
43. Council should be seen as a volunteer position. A minimum salary is fine, but don't increase it
and don't tie it to attendance (that's what elections are for). Tying salary to attendance won't
improve anything since I've sat in plenty of meetings with folks are there just to fill a seat.
Engagement is what is required and anyone on Council to "collect a check" can find easier
money elsewhere. These folks serve because they want to improve the community they live in,
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
please don't make this into a factory job where we record metrics on where they show and
which box they check (be careful, you get the results you measure). Finally. 8/14/2019 8:13 AM
44. These salaries seem high in relation to the size of the community. Coming from a city with
millions of people, officials were paid less money and had far more responsibilities. Many of the
council member responsibilities were filled by volunteers or were not compensated. 8/14/2019
8:05 AM
45. Do any benefits continue after leaving public office? 8/14/2019 6:38 AM
46. Tough job. Increasing salary may attract wider range of experienced professional candidates.
8/14/2019 6:20 AM
47. No. 8/14/2019 6:16 AM
48. It isn't logical to me that salaries need to be increased just because some other cities are paying
more. 8/14/2019 6:05 AM
49. 0. 8/14/2019 5:01 AM
50. No. 8/14/2019 12:15 AM
51. 1 couldn't believe the salary of the new HR director that Edmonds hired. $150K! Now I know why
my taxes are so high. Comparing salaries with other cities elected officials results in a dangerous
upward cycle because every city wants to "attract the best candidate" so they pay on the high
side of the range. 8/13/2019 11:41 PM
52. Considering the vast majority of our citizen abdicate the decision making to our council with a
very small percentage voicing opinions on most matters - less than 5% voted in the mayoral
primaries, our elected officials should be highly compensated. The abuse and negativity they
endure for stepping forward and being willing to make decisions for our city can't ever be
compensated to the level it deserves, but a $50 - 60K range at least puts us in a comparable
place for a mid -size corporate board of directors. 8/13/2019 10:14 PM
53. Tough job - good luck. 8/13/2019 9:03 PM
54. Only that paying Council per meeting attended could become a nightmare. I would equate it to
Council pay in other similar cities. 8/13/2019 5:53 PM
55. Additional benefits such as childcare. 8/13/2019 4:49 PM
56. The mayor's salary should be considerably less, perhaps half. Salary historically has not attracted
competent individuals; their primary objective is ego satisfaction. 8/13/2019 4:43 PM
57. 1 want council members that are solely interested in serving their community, for the sake of
service alone. The level of decorum and professionalism from our city council is so lacking, so
absent, that to compensate them financially, to any degree, is offensive. 8/13/2019 3:54 PM
58. We should disassemble Ed! As a small business owner the costs outweigh the benefits
immensely and are all things the Chamber of Commerce should be already doing for the money
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment B
we pay them. Forcing small business to be a part of Ed! Places an unnecessary burden on small
and or new business owners. 8/13/2019 1:48 PM
59. Hours of work for council vs mayor should equal pay difference. 8/13/2019 1:18 PM
60. Good luck - I would do this job. 8/13/2019 1:12 PM
61. They spend more time on city matters than just meetings. 8/13/2019 11:39 AM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment C
Salary Commission
Community Survey Results
August 2019
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment C
Overview
• Survey available for one week
• Notice of survey distributed per Commission direction
• 109 survey responses received
• 100 responses reviewed
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment C
1. Do you agree or disagree with linking Council
compensation to some measure of accountability
such as consistent meeting attendance?
100
90
80
72
70
60
50
a
40
z
30
20
10
0
Agree
17
11
M 0
Neither agree nor disagree Disagree
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment C
2. If you agree that an accountability measure should be
factored into Council compensation, what measures other
than meeting attendance would you suggest?
• Hours Worked/Number of Meetings — 30%
• Maintain Flat Rate — 7%
• Subjective or Hard to Measure — 47%
• Annual evaluation
• Managing budget
• Responsiveness to emails/communications from constituents
• Community involvement
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment C
98
88
78
68
m
v
O 58
v
48
O
v
38
O
z
28
3. Currently, the Council President receives
$200 per month over the Council's base pay.
Would you agree this amount is
commensurate with their duties?
58
18
8
_2
Agree
40
Disagree
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment C
3. If you disagree, please indicate how much the Council
President should be paid for his/her duties?
• Should be Paid More — 64%
• Responses ranged from $300 to $1,000
• Most frequent response was $500
• No increase needed — 14%
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment C
4. What other factors should the Commission consider when
setting elected officials' compensation?
i
Average of Comparable
Cities
21%
Should be Paid More
rrked/#
Meetings
24%
City of Edmonds Salary Commission 8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment C
"Other" Responses
• Amount of community engagement/responsiveness
• Service ethic/preparation for meetings
Budget management
• Qualifications
Accomplishments
City of Edmonds Salary Commission 8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment D
2019 Salary Commission Survey - Council Responses
Note: Responses have been edited for clarity (only spelling and grammatical errors have been corrected)
Question 1: Do you agree or disagree with linking Council compensation to some measure of
accountability such as consistent meeting attendance?
Answered (6)/Skipped (0)
Do you agree or disagree with linking Council
compensation to some measure of accountability
such as consistent meeting attendance?
3.5
3
v
3
0 2.5
a 2
v 2
1.5
v 1
� 1
E
z 0.5
0
Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree
50% Agree (3 responses) / 17%' Neutral (1 Response) / 33% Disagree (2 responses)
Question 2: If you agree that an accountability measure should be factored into the Salary
Commission's criteria for setting Council compensation, what measures other than meeting
attendance would you suggest?
Answered (3)/Skipped (3)
1. Level of preparation, public engagement, attendance at public meetings, and availability to
staff are some possible examples. 8/15/2019 6:03 AM
2. Attending basic training courses, such as those offered by AWC, to deepen understanding of
duties commonly expected of elected officials. 8/13/2019 10:48 AM
3. You should ask how many hours are spent in each meeting as for WRIA 8 being on the grant
funding committee I spend more than 40-50 hours depending on the amount of grants we
review. 8/13/2019 10:46 AM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment D
Question 3: The Council President has additional responsibilities such as working with the Mayor and
staff to set the meeting agendas and chairing the weekly Council meetings. Currently, the Council
President receives $200 per month over the Council's base pay. Would you agree that this amount is
commensurate with their added responsibilities?
Answered (6)/Skipped (0)
6
5
4
0
0_
v
3
0
v
E
2
z
1
The Commission recognizes that the Council
President has additional responsibilities
regarding the City Council meetings and
coordination with City officials. Currently, the
Council President receives $200 per month over
the Council's base pay. Would you
67
1
Agree Disagree
17% Agree (1 response) / 83% Disagree (5 responses)
If you disagree, please indicate how much the Council President should be paid for his/her duties?
44 responses
1. $600. 8/15/2019 6:03 AM
2. 1 think it should be $400 a month more. 8/13/2019 10:05 PM
3. If you do the job right - it is far more than $200. Again it depends on the Council person's
work ethic as I have seen Council President treat the job like a hobby. 8/13/2019 10:46 AM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission 8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment D
Question 5: Do you have any other thoughts?
Answered (4) Skipped (2)
1. Elected officials are also accountable to voters. They ultimately decide whom they want
representing them. 8/15/2019 6:03 AM
2. Thank you for your service to our city and for working to provide fair compensation to our
elected officials. 8/13/2019 10:05 PM
3. Frankly, I didn't decide to run for a Council position based on the rate of pay for the
position. If the salary was 50% less or 50% more, it wouldn't have influenced my decision to
run. I'm doing this simply to positively impact the city. 8/13/2019 10:48 AM
4. Rather than look at number of outside meetings - I implore you to look at hours spent. As an
example being a liaison to the Port Commission or Seashore Transportation or Lake Ballinger
watershed are like show up meetings while others can take up a tremendous amount of
time if participating fully (WRIA8 or Health District or PSP Salmon Recovery Council). Thanks
for asking. 8/13/2019 10:46 AM
City of Edmonds Salary Commission
20,000
18,000
16,000
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
8/21/19 Minutes: Attachment E
Comparison Graph of Council/Council President Pay Cities 30,000 to 50,000 Population
Cities 30,000 to 50,000
Lake Stevens Mt. Vernon Burien Lynnwood Edmonds Bothell Issaquah University Place Lacey
■ Council member pay ■ Council president