Council raises salaries for mayor, clerk, themselves

Council members voted 4-2 Monday night to raise the salaries for the mayor, aldermen, and city clerk positions beginning on Jan. 1, 2017. Aldermen Larry Wilson and Frank Anderson voted against the raises.

The resolution raises the annual salary for the positions by 11.5 percent. An amendment suggested by Alderman James Wozniak, which passed 5-1, staggers the increase over two years — 5.5 percent raise in 2017, and the rest coming in 2018.

“I’d like to thank Alderman Wozniak for his great idea to split the raise into two years,” said Mayor Peter Christie. “It’s in the same ballpark as what is offered to the employees rather than the 11 percent all at once.”

Christie said that he reviewed the employee salaries before agreeing to the salary increase, and found that the pay of lower-level employees is competitive with nearby cities.

“I tasked each department head to look at each employee’s salary to make sure it’s in line,” Christie said. “And I’m pleased to report that every one of them has come back and said no one is under the line.”

After the increase takes full effect, the mayor’s salary will be $82,064.02. Aldermen will make $6,331.13, while the city clerk will make $9,126.81.

This is up from the mayor’s current salary of $73,600 and the aldermen salary of $5,640.

Currently, these positions make around 36 percent less in annual salary than surrounding Northwest Arkansas cities, according to a study done by Bruce Johanson, a Fayetteville management advisor hired by the city.

This discrepancy makes it less likely that the best candidates choose Bella Vista, Johanson said during his presentation to the council in May.

The average salary for Northwest Arkansas mayors is $115,693.

The increased salary will remain in place after 2018 until the council brings up another resolution in the future.