Agenda - Council Work Session - 06/23/2026

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CC Work Session 2.4. Meeting Date: 06/23/2026 Information Title: Discuss Council Member Compensation Purpose/Background: Councilmembers Buscher and Riley requested this discussion several weeks ago. As requested, discussion on this matter took place during the April 14, 2026, work session. At that time, updated wage data was not available through the League of Minnesota Cities. The updated data is now available, and includes data from cities with populations from 15,000 to 50,000 (attached). As noted previously, Ramsey's Mayor and Councilmember salaries have not been increased since 2005 and, prior to that, the last increase was in 1989. Prior to the April 2026 meeting, this matter was discussed in detail on February 8, 2022. At that time, a survey of similarly sized cities showed that the City of Ramsey's Council compensation is ranked 29 out of 31 cities. Back in February 2022, staff found that in comparable cities, the average annual pay for Mayors is $10,338 (Ramsey's is $8000) and the average annual pay for Councilmembers is $7975 (Ramsey's is $6000). A few cities also provide paid health insurance and other employee benefits. Currently, the data shows that Ramsey ranks 32 out of 34 reporting cities; in both the case of the Mayor and Council salaries, there are only two cities that pay less than Ramsey (Forest Lake and Otsego). The data shows the average annual pay for Mayors is now $11,732 (Ramsey's is still $8000) and the average annual pay for Councilmembers is now $9035 (Ramsey's is still $6000). The attached spreadsheet shows the full details, as well as median pay differences and other data. Note that some cities pay Councilmembers for attending meetings or other payments. The city of St. Michael has been removed from the data due to the fact that they only pay per meeting, not a monthly stipend. State statute requires that Council salaries are to be established prior to an election and increases do not become effective until after the election. Consequently, with an election planned for 2026, if there is an interest in increasing the Mayor and Councilmember's salaries, the time for such an action is prior to the next municipal election, and increases would be effective after the election, in January. Charter Language: Section 2.7 Salaries. The mayor and councilmembers shall receive such compensation as is fixed by the council in accordance with state statutes. Any increases in such compensation shall not become effective until after the next municipal election. Other officers and employees of the city shall receive such salaries or wages as may be fixed by the council. Attachments: Mintutes and Salary Data Timeframe: 10 Minutes Funding Source: If needed, funding will be included in the 2027 budget. Responsible Party(ies):