Riverton mayor's salary raised 35 percent, made competitive with similar cities

RIVERTON — The mayor of Riverton has been given a 35 percent raise, and city officials say they granted the raise to make the office’s salary more competitive with similar cities.

“The council agreed to bring the salary from $15,500 to $21,000, which is right in line with what South Jordan, Draper and Herriman pay their mayors. It’s right about the same,” Mayor Trent Staggs said.

City Council members unanimously authorized the pay raise at a meeting Tuesday. The raise was put into effect immediately.

The position in Riverton is part time, as are the mayor positions in South Jordan, Draper and Herriman, according to documents on the Riverton city website.

South Jordan pays $21,500 annually to its mayor, while Draper pays about $20,300 and Herriman pays $21,000. Those cities, along with Riverton, have between 35,000 and 70,000 residents.

City staffers also sold a $27,000 car that the previous mayor used, Staggs said. He did not want to use the car, so it was sold, he said.

Staggs said the mayor’s salary had not been raised since 2006, when his predecessor, Bill Applegarth, still held the office.

Applegarth’s son, Andy Applegarth, said his father did not take a raise during the 12 years he served as mayor.

He said he was skeptical of the decision to give the new mayor a pay raise within the first three weeks of his term.

“That just surprises me,” Andy Applegarth said. “I can’t think of any other employer or any other scenario where an employee could ask an employer for a 40 percent raise within the first three weeks of their job.”

He said he had reached out to City Council members and three of them thanked him for speaking out on the issue.

Councilman Brent Johnson said at the meeting Tuesday that he had fielded several calls from city residents with concerns about the pay raise. But he agreed that the salary needed to be increased.

“The prior mayor didn’t want the increase, and, in fact, he was very adamant about not having that, and what that’s done is put us where we are today, in a very, very awkward situation,” Johnson said at the meeting.

Council member Tish Buroker said the pay increase wasn’t a raise, but rather a wage-rate adjustment to account for the lack of 12 years without a wage increase.

Council member Sheldon Stewart agreed that the time had come to grant a salary increase for the office.

“We definitely are under-compensating the role of mayor,” he said.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct the percentage of the pay raise and to include a detail about a city-owned car that was sold.

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