Atlanta’s mayor and City Council members could have a significant boost in their salaries coming their way.
A commission charged with reviewing elected officials’ compensation every few years recently released their newest recommended pay bumps for the city’s top politicians.
According to its final report, the commission recommended the mayor’s salary be bumped by more than $68,000 to a total pay out of $271,000 annually. For City Council members, the commission suggested a $49,000 increase to bring their salaries to $121,500. And council president? A boost of $58,000 to $132,500 per year.
If adopted, the increased salaries would take effect beginning in 2026, after the next election where the mayor’s office and every council seat is up for grabs.
The last time new salaries were adopted by City Council was in early 2021, when council members and the president saw about a $12,000 jump and the mayor’s salary increased by about $20,000.
Quinton Washington, chair of the compensation committee, told council members on the Committee on Council last week that the group took into consideration a wide variety of factors — from Atlanta’s housing market to the salaries and non-taxable benefits of officials in peer cities.
“We wanted the city of Atlanta to be able to have an inclusive elected body,” he said.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
The report argues that every elected official that serves Atlanta residents should be able to afford a home within city limits and that salaries take into consideration the time commitment of a public servant. That means not only considering regular Atlanta City Council meetings, but also time spent working with local neighborhood planning units and hosting community events.
The report argues Atlanta’s mayoral salary “ranks unfavorably” compared to most other cities, which potentially limits the number of qualified candidates willing to run for office. That would change if the raise is adopted. The Atlanta mayor would be paid more than cities cited in the report with higher costs of living: Boston, Massachusetts ($250,000), Washington, D.C. ($250,000), and Denver, Colorado ($205,000). The mayor in Columbus, Ohio, which has a lower cost of living than Atlanta, is paid $234,000, according to the report.
The commission also added that a number of executive staff within the mayor’s office are paid the same as the mayor, or even more.
“Because we do believe that with the strong mayor form of government here,” Washington said, “that’s something that should be taken into consideration with the salaries.”
The commission also offered separate recommendations for Atlanta’s Board of Education members — suggesting that the board chair be paid $80,000 annually, the vice-chair $77,500 annually and members $70,000 annually.
