LAKE HAVASU CITY – Lake Havasu City will pay its mayor and city council members more than their tri-city counterparts when raises take effect in a little more than two years. The Lake Havasu City Council voted Oct. 13 to increase annual compensation for elected officials, when terms will expire for those who voted in favor of the raise.
Discussion at the meeting reflected consensus that better pay will draw better candidates to serve the citizens.
“It gives the citizens a stronger pool of candidates as we go well into the future,” said Mayor Cal Sheehy.
“We want our citizens to be able to attract the best and the brightest when it comes to their elected officials,” said Vice Mayor Jim Dolan. “All of us here will have finished our terms when this takes effect.”
Council member Gordon Groat scoffed at public criticism of the pay increase action.
“It’s not very much money. Thirty thousand bucks of impact to the budget,” Groat said. “Come on people. That’s not even a cup of coffee.”
Pay for the mayor in Lake Havasu will increase from $11,400 to $19,650. Pay for council members will bump from $7,800 up to $11,400.
City Clerk Sue Stein said Bullhead City currently pays $12,000 for the mayor slot and $9,000 for council members.
Kingman council members currently earn just $6,000 per year while the mayor is paid $9,600 annually. Kingman will get close to Bullhead City at the end of this year when previously approved increases bring mayor and council pay to $11,700 and $8,400, respectively.
“I will tell you from experience it costs money to be on this council,” Dolan said. “We attend a lot of functions. Every dinner you see us go to, we pay our own way. Every time you see our name somewhere on a memorial brick or whatever, we pay for that out of our own pockets.”
Dave Hawkins
