Mayor may get raise

SANDPOINT - City officials have only begun discussing the possibility of a mayoral raise, but the issue has already split opinions.

Introduced by Councilman Stephen Snedden at last week's administrative committee meeting, the proposal suggests raising the mayor's salary from $12,000 to the median wage for Bonner County residents - $32,000.

"By only paying $12,000 for what is essentially a full-time job, we are effectively limiting candidates to the retired or the wealthy," Snedden said. "On the other hand, the benefit of keeping it at $12,000 is that it attracts people who are only in it for public service, which I think is amazing."

Snedden said he was introducing the topic for discussion because of the time factor. Legally, city officials can only approach the issue when the standing mayor won't benefit from the increase. Therefore, if the council is to examine it at all, their discussions must conclude before August.

Councilwoman Marsha Ogilvie opposed the raise.

"I can't justify this when we're not willing to give city employees an extra personal day," she said.

Councilman Justin Schuck said a substantial wage increase would attract professionals with experience in city management.

"Generally speaking, I want cities to be run like a business, and I think that's worth $50,000 to $80,000 a year," he said.

Mayor Gretchen Hellar was lukewarm on the idea.

"Keep in mind that using salary to attract is not always the best thing," she said. "I'm not sure that $32,000 is enough to convince someone to leave a job and run for mayor."