Commission considers raises for elected leaders in Lansing 

Early ideas call for  five-figure raises  — and a new car 

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Thicker paychecks could soon be en route to elected officials in Lansing following early discussions among the Elected Officers Compensation Commission over recent weeks — including the possibility of a five-figure raise for the mayor and a new car for the city clerk. 

The seven-member commission is set next week to finalize a series of incremental salary increase proposals — perhaps as high as 18% for some. The commission is required by the City Charter to biannually review and set salaries for the mayor, clerk and the eight members of the City Council. The proposals become law unless three-fourths of the City Council rejects them. 

Among the early ideas: A raise that would retroactively kick up the annual salaries of Mayor Andy Schor and Clerk Chris Swope by about $16,000 to account for decades of ignored inflation rates; an all-expense-paid city vehicle for Swope to cruise the city; and smaller bumps for the Council that could bring Council President Adam Hussain’s paycheck to more than $31,000. 

The early proposals are far from concrete, but they are slated to be finalized at the next Commission meeting on Thursday (March 24). As part of its legally required review, the commission has met five times since February, though rarely with all seven of its mayoral appointments present at once. 

On Tuesday (March 15), Vice Chairman Derek Melot outlined two initial concepts to the three other members who showed up: Chairwoman Liisa Speaker, Brian Huggler and Steve Young. 

What’s on the table? 

Melot, Speaker, Huggler and Young seemed to have formed an early straw-poll consensus on increasing salaries for all 10 officials by at least 8.5% to account for inflation since last January. 

With no other changes, that concept would immediately increase Schor’s salary by about $11,800 to about $151,400. Swope’s paycheck would climb by about $8,000 to about $102,700. 

Accordingly, six members of the City Council would see their annual salaries climb by about $2,200 to about $28,600. Council President Adam Hussain and Vice President Carol Wood would also make a bit more than the others — about $31,400 and $29,600, respectively. 

“I like the idea of catching up, bringing us up to where we should be in terms of inflation from year to year,” Young said Tuesday. “I also think that we need to be competitive as a city.” 

Melot also pitched a “full reset” concept that could make up for decades of foregone pay raises and crank up salaries for Schor and Swope to account for rising rates of inflation since 2000. If the proposal is put in motion next week, that would equate to an 11.7% raise for the mayor and an 18.9% raise for the clerk — bringing their paychecks to $151,400 and $111,400, respectively. 

“I think that’s a constant mistake that employers make: They don’t look at inflation for what it is, and that’s if you’re not keeping your employees current, you’re imposing pay cuts on them and that is not very good for motivating performance,” Melot added. 

And that’s just for this year’s salary increase. 

The commission, which has voiced plans to operate largely the same way it did the last time it doled out raises in 2019, still has to determine potential salary increases for the next two years. 

There was also some discussion on Tuesday about pushing Swope’s salary even higher to account for the increased workload related to marijuana licensing — as well as leasing for him a car that would aid in navigating between City Hall and his offices on South Washington Avenue. 

How does the process work? 

The seven commissioners serve through appointment by the mayor and approval by the Council. Its recommendations, which would build on a series of raises from over the last three years, will take effect automatically next month unless the City Council decides to reject them. 

After they’ve been finalized next week, the Council’s Committee of the Whole will review the commission’s determinations at a yet-to-be-scheduled meeting, sometime likely next month. The Council’s approval isn’t a necessary step, but it can choose to reject the changes within 30 days — and only with a supermajority vote by at least six of its eight members. 

The last time the Commission tinkered with salaries for the city’s elected officials was in 2019 — a process that then included 8% bumps for the mayor, clerk and the City Council. Before that, the Council also allowed 20% increases for all elected officials to take effect in 2015. 

Despite past misgivings about the salary increases from Hussain and Councilwoman Patricia Spitzley, neither of them introduced a resolution to kill the raises in 2019. This year, Hussain said he is still hesitant to support pay increases, particularly for the part-time City Council. 

Added Councilman Peter Spadafore: “The only raises I’d be willing to support for the mayor, the city clerk or the Council are those commensurate with the ones given to our employee groups. Anything beyond that is not justifiable.” 

The other six members of the Council, Schor and Swope didn’t respond to questions from City Pulse about their compensation. Swope also skipped out on Tuesday’s Commission meeting and hasn’t responded to the commission’s requests for more details about his daily workload. 

“None of them really have an interest,” City Council Office Manager Sherrie Boak told the commission at Tuesday’s meeting. “I think they all just trust that you’re going to make the right determination and they don’t want to come in here and sway you one way or the other, or say they need more money. They’re elected officials. They’re not going to say, ‘Pay me more.’” 

More salary needed? 

Melot and other commission members contended that besides falling behind because of cost of living and inflation, the city’s elected leaders deserve more in order to match salaries for elected leaders in similar cities. 

Data still being compiled by the commission shows that Lansing’s mayor is paid significantly less than mayors in Dearborn and Rochester Hills and city managers in East Lansing and Royal Oak, which were billed as “comparable” positions given Lansing’s strong-mayor government. Data also showed Schor makes more than mayors in Warren, Grand Rapids and Lorrain, Ohio. 

City Council members in Lansing made more than any other city compared for reference — except for Warren, where its Council members are paid annual salaries of about $31,400. 

“I’m probably not going to be in favor of any substantial increase in the Council salaries, just because when you look at the comparisons, they’re already up at the top of the chart,” Melot added. “I think — if anything — I wouldn’t support anything more than” an 8.5% pay raise. 

The commission also assembled data on salary adjustments for the city’s bargaining groups to, at least in theory, help ensure that Lansing’s elected leaders wouldn’t see undue pay raises while the rest of the workforce is neglected. While much more consistent from year to year, none have seen an annual raise higher than 3% in at least the last 20 years — which could shape up to be a real sticking point for the Council when the issue resurfaces. 

Visit lansingcitypulse.com for continued coverage as the determinations are assembled. 

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