The Gainesville City Council will consider pay increases for the mayor and council members when they meet the middle of next month but any pay hikes that are approved would not be effective until January 1, 2026.
According to a legal ad for the Dec. 17 meeting, the adjustments, if approved, would increase each council member’s annual salary to $40,000 while the mayor’s would jump to $45,000. Currently, council members are pulling in $34,500 a year and the mayor, $39,600. Those totals for each include salary, expense allowance and per meeting compensation.
Here’s a breakdown of what each now receives:
Mayor Council
Salary $6,000 $4,800
Expense Allowance $1,200 $900
Per Diem $32,400 $28,800
Maximum 216 Meetings 192 Meetings
TOTAL $39,600 $34,500
$150 per meeting
Not to exceed two meetings per day
The proposed adjustments also note that “The mayor and each council member shall receive the same Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increases as all other City employees, should such COLA increases be granted to City employees generally (and) shall receive an additional $1,200 added to their annual base salary upon completion of the requirements necessary to receive the Certificate of Achievement through the Harold F. Holtz Municipal Training Institute.”