- November 15, 2024
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Palm Coast City Council members aren't paid much: $9,600 per year, plus a cell phone/communications allowance and mileage reimbursement. They haven't had a raise since 2007, and they aren't eligible for the city's healthcare coverage.
The council's two freshman members, Heidi Shipley and Steve Nobile, have suggested changing that — something Nobile believes would entice a more diverse pool of candidates in the future.
Nobile suggested a base pay equivalent to 70% of the $50,916 County Commissioners make, which would leave City Council members with $35,641 — almost four times what they're making now.
"I just feel like it would open up the ability for us to attract candidates who both fall into a more diverse, diversified categories and who are allowed to participate a lot more," Nobile said during a Nov. 10 City Council workshop. Nobile said the council could delay enactment of the pay change by "two or three years, to the point where we’re not doing this, potentially, for our benefit."
If council members are paid enough to live on, Nobile has suggested at previous council meetings, more people would be likely to seek election; the current system is difficult for council members who work full-time.
"We're all sitting here today because we have the opportunity to. None of us would be able to leave our job and serve, and that just cuts down the candidate pool, so to speak."
— Steve Nobile, Palm Coast City Council member
As things are, Nobile said, the council position is "a full-time job" that isn't paid as one. "I probably, of everyone here, put in the least amount of time, and I probably put in 30 hours at least," he said.
It was City Councilwoman Heidi Shipley who raised the issue of council member pay at the workshop, suggesting the city offer its health insurance plans to council members and consider raising council members' pay annually to keep pace with cost-of-living changes.
"I know it’s a touchy subject, because we would have be the ones to do that," she said. She asked what the council would have to do to provide annual cost-of-living adjustments for council members, and City Attorney Bill Reischmann said the council could change council pay by enacting an ordinance. By charter, the pay changes would only go into effect after the next election, he said.
Nobile has suggested examining the issue in the past, listing council member pay as one of the things that could be examined in a City Charter review. Although Nobile's months-long push for a Charter review ended unsuccusfully when other council members wouldn't back his proposal for a citizen-committee-led review with a vote Oct. 20, Mayor Jon Netts noted at that meeting that the council could still consider individual issues in the Charter if council members bring them up in their comments at the end of meetings. The Nov. 10 meeting was the second time that's happened. Nobile did it first at an Oct. 27 meeting, noting a charter inconsistency with state law.
"If you ran for this office, and you said you were going do your best to be fiscally conservative and do your best to keep taxes low — as I did — then to participate in any compensation over and above what I'm already getting that would come out of the ad valorem taxes would be to say, 'Well, I was just kidding.'"
— Bill McGuire, Palm Coast City Council member
At the Nov. 10 meeting, as in meetings where Nobile pushed for a charter review, Councilman Bill McGuire pushed back.
"If you ran for this office, and you said you were going do your best to be fiscally conservative and do your best to keep taxes low — as I did — then to participate in any compensation over and above what I'm already getting that would come out of the ad valorem taxes would be to say, 'Well, I was just kidding,'" McGuire said.
But although he said he didn't "feel strongly" about his base pay, McGuire did see room for change in other areas, suggesting the city allow council members to use city vehicles for trips on official business, or issue them city cell phones for city-related communication.
"I don’t want to lose money, because I'm living on a fixed income, so I don’t want to have to dip into my Social Security to have to finance my activities on behalf of the city," McGuire said. "It isn’t hurting me financially to do my job, but I’m cutting it close."
Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts suggested the city check the cost of adding benefits for council members, and consider determining the cumulative cost-of-living change since the council members' pay was last set, and making an adjustment.
Landon said he'd have staff look into it.
