Woodbury Council Preview: Pay Increase Coming?

A discussion about possible pay increases for the mayor and council members will highlight Wednesday's Woodbury City Council workshop.

Woodbury , which puts the city among the lowest of the state’s larger municipalities. The council and mayoral positions have not seen pay increases since 2006.

According to the agenda, the city has three options regarding council compensation:

• do nothing at this time;
• increase the mayor and council compensation to the average wage of comparable cities (plus an additional 3 percent to remain consistent with the market); or
• increase the mayor and city council compensation in a multi-step process, and successive increases over a period of time after that date.

Under state statute, a pay increase for the city council could not take effect until after the next election (Nov. 6). The wage change would begin Jan. 1, 2013, according to a council memo.

The council in October 2011.

“I don’t do this for the compensation. None of us do," Councilman Paul Rebholz said then. "I sort of don't care (about the pay).”

Councilman Christopher Burns during the October 2011 meeting noted that many residents in the community are struggling in the down economy, and it’s difficult for the council to give itself a raise.

City Administrator Clint Gridley at that meeting reminded council members that “the offices go beyond yourself,” and they have seen increasing responsibilities as the city has grown over the years.

• A discussion of moving from paper council packets to electronic, which would save the city money.
• An update on the .
• Updates from the city administrator and council members.
• A closed session to discuss labor negotiations.

Check out the full agenda on the city's website. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at .

*An earlier version of this story did not include the mayor's pay.