KTVU
It’s an awkward position to be in when you are a public servant tasked with approving whether or not your salary should increase. But that’s what the San Jose City Council had to do this week, and they voted to approve raises for themselves. They also discussed the possibility of taking the task of approving their own salaries off their hands.
Mayor Sam Liccardo voted for the salary increase for council members. (Photo: http://www.sanjoseculture.org)
The council approved the increases by an 8-3 vote, with council members Ash Kalra, Manh Nguyen and Pierluigi Oliverio casting votes against the pay hikes.
Mayor Sam Liccardo’s salary will go up 4.4 percent to $125,000 annually and each council member’s pay will increase by 8.17 percent, up to $92,000 per year.
The city’s Salary Setting Commission recommended the amounts and the council had deferred voting on their pay since June.
The salaries are retroactive to July 1 and will be in effect until June 30, 2017.
The mayor and council’s pay was reduced by 10 percent in 2011 in conjunction with city employees to help close the city’s budget deficit, city officials said.
Since then, city employee wages have gone up between 10 and 15 percent, with an additional 3 to 4 percent increase that will go into effect in June, according to city officials.
City Councilman Tam Nguyen called for city staff to explore amending the City Charter that would lift the “burden and stigma” of the council voting on their pay.
“We are all public servants. We are here to serve, not to make money,” City Councilman Manh Nguyen said.
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