How ex-mayor Kirk Humphreys sees question of raising pay
Oklahoman
By Bryan Dean
Staff Writer

Former Mayor Kirk Humphreys said voters should first understand the requirements of the job before deciding whether the mayor and city council members should be given pay raises.
He said voters should decide what level of pay is fair and, more importantly, how much is appropriate to attract the right candidates.

"To me, the most important question is not ‘Am I compensating people fairly?” Humphreys said. "What we're trying to do is get good government.”

A proposed change in the Oklahoma City Charter would raise the salaries of city council members from $12,000 to $24,000 a year and take the mayor's salary from $24,000 to $48,000.

Council members agreed last week to put the salary question and other proposed charter changes on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Ward 8 Councilman Pat Ryan said he is worried doubling pay for the jobs will diminish the spirit of volunteerism that comes with being mayor or a city councilman.

"I just think we lose an aspect of public service given that our whole system of government in Oklahoma City is supposed to be not attracting people on a full time basis,” Ryan said.


What jobs require
Humphreys said being mayor of Oklahoma City is a full-time job.
"It's almost unlimited how much of your time it would take if you allowed it to,” Humphreys said. "I typically spent probably 50 hours a week being mayor.”

In addition to speaking engagements, the mayor spends many hours at city hall meeting with groups who are often looking for the mayor's support, either with influence or money.

Add to that schedule major projects such as Humphreys' work on MAPS for Kids or Mayor Mick Cornett's time spent dealing with the NBA, and the mayor must prioritize, Humphreys said.

"(Former Mayor) Ron Norick told me the first two years he was in office, he didn't take off a single day,” Humphreys said. "He encouraged me to protect my Sundays. I did that.”

He said some council members in his era worked no more than 10 hours a week for the city. Others, like former Ward 7 Councilwoman Willa Johnson, worked at least the equivalent of a full-time job.

Johnson, who is now District 1 Oklahoma County commissioner, was part of the citizen's committee that recommended increasing pay for the jobs. She said she worked as many as 80 hours when she was first elected, eventually pairing that down to about 40 hours a week.

Most of that time was spent in the evenings attending monthly neighborhood association meetings.

Ward 4 Councilman Pete White, who served a stint on the council in the early 1980s before winning a seat again in 2004, said the number of neighborhood associations in his ward is double what it was in the 1980s, and attending the meetings is no less important.

"We in city government are the closest contact between a citizen and their tax money,” White said.

Councilman are also expected to serve on more boards and committees, such as the city's water trust, than they were 25 years ago, White said.


Pay a living wage?
Whether time spent on the job should equate to more pay is a difficult question, Humphreys said.
Time requirements usually prevent the mayor from holding a full-time job, but at $24,000 a year, only those who are retirees, own their own business or are independently wealthy can afford to run, Johnson said. She hopes raising the pay will open the jobs up to more people.

"There is an opportunity for somebody who maybe has a part-time job or is an independent consultant with a small business,” Johnson said.

But Humphreys said the city must be careful not to pay so much that people decide to run simply for the paycheck.

"It's not a paycheck, and it was never intended to be,” Humphreys said. "That's not how our city was built.”


How we compare
City staffers surveyed 10 cities similar in size and type of government to see what they pay council members and their mayors. Here are the results:
Oklahoma City (population: 547,274) Mayor: $24,000 Council: $12,000


Other cities
•Austin, Texas (population: 743,074) Mayor: $52,998 Council: $57,300
•Charlotte, N.C. (671,588) Mayor: $20,037 Council: $14,313

•Des Moines, Iowa (196,998) Mayor: $31,500 Council: $22,500

•Fort Worth, Texas (681,818) Mayor: $29,500 Council: $25,000

•Kansas City, Mo. (450,375) Mayor: $113,856 Council: $56,924

•Little Rock, Ark. (187,452) Mayor: $160,000 Council: $12,000

•Mesa, Ariz. (452,933) Mayor: $38,001 Council: $19,032

•San Antonio, Texas (1,328,984) Mayor: $4,040 Council: $2,080

•Tucson, Ariz. (525,529) Mayor: $42,000 Council: $24,000

•Wichita, Kan. (361,420) Mayor: $79,551 Council: $33,557

•Other cities' average mayoral salary: $57,148

•Other cities' average council salary: $26,670

Population based on U.S. Census estimates for 2007

That is a really interesting list. Especially, Austin (which pays the council persons more than the mayor). I think I'll run for mayor of Kansas City or Little Rock.
Not sure what explains the disparity in salary between Mayor and council person in Little Rock though.

And Austin doesn't have a ward system: all the Council members are elected at-large.