Proposed legislation would give local officials a pay raise

HARRISBURG >> Municipal leaders must answer to constituents for the state of local law enforcement, roads, parks and clean drinking water — not to mention the property tax rates people pay.

So it could be argued they make decisions that have a far greater impact on the day-to-day lives of local residents than those serving in Washington or Harrisburg.

But the compensation they receive doesn’t reflect that.

Almost 25 years have passed

since the salary cap has been raised for mayors, borough council members and township supervisors. And some state lawmakers have taken notice.

Members of the Local Government Commission, which includes Republicans and Democrats from both chambers, have written two bills to keep up with the times.

Sen. Scott Martin of Lancaster County is the primary sponsor of Senate Bills 688 and 689, which would give townships and boroughs the option to raise salaries for supervisors and council members by as much as 68 percent in some communities.

The proposed increase in the maximum salaries that could be paid out mirror the regional percentage change in the Consumer Price Index since 1995 — the last time the local municipal official salary cap was adjusted.

The legislation contains six levels of compensation for borough council members and township supervisors, depending on the size of a community.

At one end of that spectrum, the maximum annual salary in communities

of fewer that 5,000 residents could rise to as much as $3,145 from the current $1,875. And at the other end, the maximum annual salary for those in communities with populations over 35,000 could rise to as much as $7,335 from the current $5,000.

For mayors, there are four levels of proposed compensation, depending on the size of the community.

At one end of that spectrum, the legislation would raise their maximum annual salary for those who represent boroughs with a population of less than 5,000 residents to $4,190 from the current $2,500. And at the other end, those in communities with more than 15,000 residents could be paid as much as $840 a year for every 1,000 residents or fraction of 1,000 residents from the current cap of $500 for every 1,000 residents or fraction of 1,000 residents.

However, municipalities would have to adopt an ordinance for any salary change to take effect. Salaries could be increased to the new levels only after an incumbent is reelected or when their successor begins their term of office.

The legislation also includes a provision that would allow boroughs and townships to structure

their pay based on meeting appearances to address concerns in some communities about elected officials who regularly fail to show.

Updating the books

Proponents of the legislation say the proposal is unlikely to provoke controversy because it does not mandate that local governments increase salaries, it just gives them the opportunity to revise salaries based on modern costs.

Sen. Judy Schwank is one of those proponents.

Schwank, a Ruscombmanor Township Democrat who serves on the Local Government Commission, said the legislation was based on recommendations from the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs and the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors.

“This is an issue that was brought forward to us by these two groups indicating that the salary levels had not been raised for a number of years and the salaries were pretty minimal to begin with,” she said. “It’s simply updating the salary levels.”

Schwank stressed that municipal leaders serve for far more noble reasons

than money. But, she added, each community should have the opportunity to compensate its elected officials at an inflation-adjusted rate if they wish.

“No one is going to get rich doing this job,” she said. “But, as a member of the Local Government Commission, we are constantly looking at how we can help our partners in local government do their jobs. Local government provides many of the services that we take for granted in our communities.”

David Sanko, executive director of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, echoed those comments and pointed out that there are many communities that aren’t paying anywhere near the current cap.

“These are folks who work countless hours for their communities,” he said. “I don’t know anyone who is going to put this at the top of their priority list should the legislation become law. But I do think the Legislature should update the books.”

Sanko said every community should have the right to do what works best for them.