The Lansing city council will take up a proposed 20% pay increase for top city officials later this month.
The proposal by an independent panel was introduced at last night’s meeting. The proposal is now scheduled to be discussed at the council’s Committee of the Whole meeting on March 23rd. The pay hike will take effect in July, unless the city council votes it down.
Tina Houghton is the city council president. She says the public’s reaction to the proposed pay hike has been muted so far.
“Me personally, I can’t speak for the rest of my colleagues, I haven’t heard anything,” says Houghton.
Several people at last night’s meeting said it’s wrong for the city council to consider raising its own pay after years of budget cuts and layoffs at city hall.
Houghton hasn’t taken a position on the pay raise yet. She says she needs to take into account that Lansing’s elected leaders haven’t had a pay increase in more than a dozen years.
“I also have to look at it that it’s the position that I’m holding, not necessarily about me,” says Houghton.
