Letter to the Springfield City Council on Proposed Compensation Increase
To the Springfield City Council –
I believe the proposal before the City Council is appropriate in nature, given that more than 6 years have taken place since the last adjustment in pay for our elected officials. I do want to share the comments below for your consideration.
First, I do believe that the decision to propose a pay increase that matches the proposal from the Compensation Advisory Committee is more appropriate than the proposal considered in 2018. At that time, the proposed increase in compensation was significantly higher than what the Advisory Committee recommended. Staying in step with the Advisory Committee adds credibility to the process.
I do feel the timing is unfortunate, given that our city is still fighting and recovering from COVID-19, that we are relying on funding from the American Rescue Plan to fill the void in lost revenue, and that we are projecting increasing budget shortfalls over the next five years. One could argue that there is never a good time to discuss the compensation of elected officials, so I respect the position you are in.
During public debate I would like to see the City Council discuss why, or why not, it wouldn’t be more appropriate to phase in the pay increases over a series of (2) year increments, in 2022, 2024, and beyond. This would spread out the increased outlays more evenly.
I would also like to see the City Council discuss the fact that the proposal considers an annual raise of 5% for the City Council & School Committee. I appreciate the efforts the Compensation Advisory Committee took to achieve pay parity with the other municipalities considered, but the analysis does not appear to consider other external factors such as cost of living. This has been discussed in the past – most city residents and municipal employees can at best hope for a 3% pay increase annually. I feel 3% would be better received by the public.
Respectfully Submitted,
Juan F. Latorre III