Milwaukee Common Council pay raises approved; 15% boost in pay

MILWAUKEE - Members of the Milwaukee Common Council on Wednesday, Jan. 17 approved giving themselves a 15% pay raise, starting with their next term in April. The mayor and other elected city leaders would also get a 15% boost in pay. Thee mayor still needs to sign the legislation.

Milwaukee's Common Council members and the mayor have not had a raise in their pay since 2008. For 16 years, the Common Council pay was static – about $73,000 per person each year. The vote for the pay raise means Common Council members would go to $84,000 a year. The Common Council president's salary would go from $82,000 to $94,000. The mayor's salary would go from about $147,000 a year to $169,000. 

"The timing is awful," said Milwaukee Alderman Lamont Westmoreland. "I don’t think the timing is appropriate. People are paying more money in taxes. That started January 1 – and to ask for a raise, though the wheels have been in motion for this for a long time, probably even before I was elected. To vote on this raise two weeks after the sales tax increase has kicked in -- it’s just bad timing."

The vote was taken 17 days after Milwaukee started the state's first city sales tax. 

Everyone would also get a maximum of 3% pay raises in the following years – but only as much of a percentage raise as that offered across the board to general city workers. 

"I think it was too much at once, had that increase been spread out, had it been a couple of percent in the first year, few percent after that, I think it would have been more palatable," said Alderman Bob Bauman. "I mean the public can understand that elected officials have not had their compensation adjusted since 2008."

Milwaukee Alderman Bob Bauman

The vote was 9 to 6. 

Common Council vote on pay raises

• 1st District: Andrew Pratt, Yes
• 2nd District: Mark Chambers Jr., Yes
• 3rd District: Jonathan Brostoff, Yes
• 4th District: Bob Bauman, No
• 5th District: Lamont Westmoreland, No
• 6th District: Milele Coggs, Yes
• 7th District: Kahlif Rainey, Yes
• 8th District: JoCasta Zamarripa, No
• 9th District Larresa Taylor, Yes
• 10th District: Michael Murphy, No
• 11th District: Mark Borkowski, No
• 12th District (Common Council President): Jose Perez, Yes
• 13th District: Scott Spiker, No
• 14th District, Marina Dimitrijevic, Yes
• 15th District: Russell Stamper, Yes

Raises for other city leaders

The Common Council approved another piece of legislation to give raises to dozens of other city leaders, from police chiefs to department heads and other top city staff. Police and fire chief salaries would go up tens of thousands of dollars from the current salary of $151,000.

"It’s for the next generation," said Alderman Jonathan Brostoff. "And I think we want to get the best and brightest of our staff from all over, so if we’re going to be competitively recruiting people for these positions, especially when we’re looking at nationwide searches, then we have to pay competitive wages. And the studies show we were not in line with competitive wages previous to this action."

Milwaukee Alderman Jonathan Brostoff

Now the legislation heads to the desk of Mayor Cavalier Johnson. "There have been extensive, ongoing discussions with Council members on both the elected and executive pay files," the mayor's spokesman said. "The Mayor is supportive of what was passed today."

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Per Wisconsin law, lawmakers cannot give themselves raises during their terms. New raises would not go into effect until after the April election – when all Common Council seats and the mayor's position would be up for election.