Syracuse’s Common Councilors passed a measure Monday that would give them and other elected city officials a pay raise.

The raise applies to the Common Council president and councilors, as well as the mayor and the city auditor. If approved by Mayor Ben Walsh, the raise could be the first salary increase for the city officials in at least 11 years.

The legislation was first introduced at a council study session on Nov. 18, though talk of the measure had circulated since the beginning of that month. Councilors passed the measure with a 6-2 majority. 

Councilors Joe Carni, of the 1st District, and Chad Ryan, of the 2nd District, voted against the measure. Councilor Bryn Lovejoy-Grinnell, of the 3rd District, was not present at the vote.

Raising the salaries is a continuous cost, not a one-time investment, Carni said. This could make it difficult to balance the city’s budget, he said. 

“I just can’t justify giving ourselves and other electeds raises,” he said. 

The nine councilors would earn $30,000 a year with the pay raise, an increase of $8,776, Syracuse.com reported. The salary of the council’s president would increase by $8,592 to total $33,000. The Common Council last received raises in 2001, and the mayor and city auditor last saw their salaries increase in 2008 and 1999, respectively.

The Council also unanimously passed an amendment to change the qualifications for a property tax exemption on Monday.

The amended property tax law would require exemption applicants to dedicate at least 15% of the building’s original perimeter to residential space. Another 15% of the original perimeter would be used for commercial purposes. 

Councilor At-Large Tim Rudd introduced and supported the amendment. The 15% change is a lower threshold than New York state had considered last year, he said at last Wednesday’s council meeting.

“It’s a big break, a lot of people use it,” he said on Wednesday. “It just seems important that we truly do end up with mixed-use buildings that have both a substantial residential and a substantial commercial component.” 

Published on December 2, 2019 at 9:16 pm

Contact Marnie: ammunozc@syr.edu