The College Park City Council discussed a possible $10,000 annual compensation increase for council members during Tuesday’s meeting.

The suggested raise, brought forward by the human resources department’s compensation review committee, would increase the city’s budget by $90,000 a year, according to city documents.

If approved, the mayor would then earn $25,000 annually, the mayor pro tem $22,500 and the council members $20,000. 

The city’s human resources department determined a compensation increase was warranted to align closer with comparable municipalities in 2023. Teresa Way-Pezzuti, the director of the city’s human resources department, gave the same reasoning at Tuesday’s council meeting. 

Way-Pezzuti said the committee compared more municipalities this time, reviewing a total of 16 cities and towns including Riverdale Park, Berwyn Heights and Hyattsville.

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City documents state the committee also recommended offering health benefits for council members. District 2 council member Llatetra Brown Esters estimated this to cost an additional $10,000 if implemented.

City officials currently receive a city-issued cell phone and laptop, but no health benefits, according to the documents.

District 1 council member Alan Hew said the compensation increase would help cover out-of-pocket costs associated with serving on the council, such as expenses relating to attending conferences.

“Between parking and eating, the cost of living has really gone up,” Hew said. “Our salaries haven’t.”

Some council members said raising compensation could attract more qualified candidates and make public service more accessible. 

District 1 council member Jacob Hernandez said he hasn’t heard any opposition from constituents regarding the proposed raise.

“I think that a lot of our residents see how hard we work,” Hernandez said. “I don’t think it would be too much to say, you know, this has been an issue that’s been unaddressed for quite some time.”

Higher pay could encourage younger residents to consider running, which would bring a different perspective to the council, District 2 council member Susan Whitney said.

“I know when I was in my 30s, I didn’t have the salary I have now,” Whitney said. “Having an extra $20,000 or an extra $10,000 compared to what we have now could … make it more possible for [younger residents] to stay in the city.”

City manager Kenny Young told the council that while the city can afford the additional costs, final decisions, specifically regarding insurance, would need to be worked out during spring budgeting.

The mayor and council members last saw a raise effective Jan. 1, 2024, city documents read. The raise increased the mayor’s salary from $10,500 to $15,000 and council members’ from $7,000 to $10,000.

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The council also discussed the possibility of tying future raises to inflation to avoid recurring salary debates. 

“I do like the idea of an adjuster like [the Consumer Price Index], because that really tracks inflation,” Whitney said. “It’s not something people have to debate.”

The committee initially proposed for the raises to take effect January 2026. The council agreed to revisit the issue during budgeting discussions in the spring.

Any approved increase would only apply to those elected in the next term, so council members would not be voting for their own raise, Young noted. All council seats are up for election in the fall.

The proposed increase would not take effect until 2027 if added to the budget in the spring.