The Gardendale City Council has been working toward setting new salaries for the Mayor and Council members ahead of the next municipal election.
At the August 21st Council meeting, Council President Alvin Currington introduced Resolution 2023-007 and announced the proposed salaries in what was a “1st Reading” of the resolution. No vote was taken. The vote may happen as early as the next regularly scheduled meeting on September 4th.
If approved by the Council, the position of Mayor will see a salary increase to $85,500 per year or $7,125 per month.
The Council President would make $22,500 per year or $1,875 per month.
The Council President Pro Tem salary would be set at $18,900 per year or $1,575 per month.
The remainder of the 3 Council members would make $18,000 per year each or $1,500 per month each.
All have access to the excellent health plan in place for Gardendale city employees.
For a city the size of Gardendale, the Mayor’s salary reflects the growth of the city and the skill set and quality of the man or woman who would run a budget of its current and future size. It should open the door for quality candidates for the position.
Gardendale’s budget will only increase and the level of skill needed to run a city of approximately 16,000 people with increased business growth and developer negotiations will be important. The $85,500 per year should help open the door for more candidates with these skill-sets.
In the 2020 local election cycle, the Mayor and 4 of the 5 Council members ran unopposed.
The increased salaries may lead to more interest in serving in the elected positions and help drive healthy competition for Gardendale voters.
