Should elected officials get an 18.2% pay bump? City council set to debate at upcoming hearing
New York City Council is set to hold a hearing on Tuesday to discuss a bill that would increase pay for top elected officials by 18.2%.
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The New York City Council is set to hold a hearing on Tuesday to discuss a bill that would increase pay for top elected officials by 18.2%.
The Quadrennial Advisory Commission recommended the pay increases in a final report that was released on Election Day. It would be the first proposed raise for city councilmembers and other elected officials since 2016.
Under the recommendation, the mayor’s salary would rise to $305,800, from $258,750, though Mayor Zohran Mamdani has previously stated that he would not accept a raise in his first term.
"The mayor has committed to not taking a pay raise during his first term," said Dora Pekec, spokesperson for Mamdani.
The commission's report cites the increase is not a raise but a long‑overdue cost-of-living adjustment, pointing to a 31% rise in inflation since the last salary review more than a decade ago.
The three‑member panel, appointed earlier this year by Mamdani, is legally required to convene every four years, but it had not met since 2015.
Some New Yorkers told News 12 that the timing feels out of step with the city’s affordability crisis.
“It’s not fair. Everything is raising up, some of us are staying broke. I’m broke,” said Nancy, of Soundview.
If approved, salaries for the public advocate would rise to $218,400, the city comptroller would earn $247,100, and borough presidents' checks would increase to $211,800. City Council members would earn just over $175,000, while the City Council Speaker would receive $194,400.
District attorneys' salaries were tied to the NYS Supreme Court judges, and their salaries increased to $232,600 in 2024 and $237,300 in 2026. Under this proposal, they would earn $251,500.
"Competitive pay for an elected position means that we will get a stronger group of candidates who are willing to run for office," said Grace Rauh, executive director of the Citizens Union. "We think that this pay raise that has been proposed is appropriate and we support it."
Government watchdogs have urged the city to stick to the independent review process after several Council members attempted to push for raises in December without a commission recommendation, a move that the Citizens Union said could undermine public trust.
"We spoke out against that approach. We thought that it was really important that there be independent research done, a real analysis of pay levels in the city, and for elected officials in other parts of the country. We're gratified that that process has now taken place," said Rauh.
The commission also wants the Council to pass a law automatically adjusting salaries each year by 2%, or the inflation rate, whichever is lower, if the panel fails to meet as required.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin also said she would decline a pay raise.
"Speaker Menin has briefed Council Members on the Commission's recommendations and is currently considering next steps. The Council expects to take up the issue with a vote later this summer," said a spokesperson for Speaker Menin.
A City Council committee is scheduled to hold a pre‑considered hearing Tuesday, potentially fast‑tracking the proposal.
