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SALT LAKE CITY — A segment of the city's proposed 2025 budget that would give Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and the Salt Lake City Council significant raises drew ire from residents during a second and final public hearing before the council votes on finalizing the budget.
The plan would bump the mayor's base salary from a little more than $168,000 to nearly $212,000, a 26% raise. The base salary for the part-time City Council members would increase from $42,000 to almost $53,000.
"I'm completely opposed to this because in the real world that we all live in, we get pay increases according to our performance and her performance has been abysmal at best," said resident Julia McGonigle. "I think it's absurd that the mayor is asking for an over-$200,000 (salary) when that is the top 12% of earnings in the United States ... and the mayor has not passed any policies that have helped address the suffering of these low-income constituents."
She urged the City Council to use the proposed increase toward salary raises for first responders, librarians or other city employees. A handful of other residents also took shots at the proposed increases during a meeting that drew a fraction of the residents the first public hearing on May 21 did, largely because the City Council discussed its involvement with Smith Entertainment Group on a proposed sports and entertainment district that same night.
The raises were brought up during a work session, hours before the first public hearing, so many residents weren't aware of the proposal before Tuesday's hearing. Some residents who spoke on the issue said they believe raises should be given to other city employees, while others said the proposal doesn't align with larger western cities.
Some said while $44,000 seems small compared to the proposed $475.2-million budget, they believe it could go toward solving issues the city is facing, such as homelessness.
"It's preposterous. Nobody I know ever gets that kind of raise and I've been working all my life as a professional, as an engineer," said Bill Hirt. "I think it's totally wrong. I know everyone's got to make a living, including me, but I just think that this is an abuse of the tax-levying authority. ... I think it's all wrong."
The Salt Lake City Mayor's Office has defended the proposal. Officials pointed out Utah's capital city doesn't have a city manager, which means the mayor serves in a "similar capacity," in addition to mayoral responsibilities. That leaves the Salt Lake City mayor with more work, especially as the city grows faster than most Utah communities.
"The Salt Lake City mayor leads the municipal government of the most populous city in one of the fastest-growing, most dynamic states in the U.S.," her office said in a statement to KSL.com on May 22.
"While it's difficult to draw comparisons across cities with different forms of government, the base pay for the position of mayor in Salt Lake City falls at No. 28 among city leaders across Utah — paying less than city managers or city administrator positions in smaller cities like Clinton, Pleasant Grove, Spanish Fork and Taylorsville."
The Salt Lake City Council is still hammering out the final budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Its members will meet again on Thursday to hash out unresolved issues before the budget could be approved as early as June 11. The City Council has until the end of the month to finalize the budget before the fiscal year begins July 1.
The council's June 11 meeting will also feature a second public hearing on the proposed sports and entertainment district. The City Council has until Sept. 1 to agree with Smith Entertainment Group on the plan. It can also approve up to a 0.5% sales tax increase toward projects in the zone.
