After more than two hours of discussion, the majority of the Park City Council came to a consensus on where councilmember and mayor pay should land.
The council approved an ordinance in May to more than double councilmember and mayor salaries, but after weeks of community criticism, the council decided to revisit raises.
The majority of the council agreed to an increase of about 18% Thursday, June 11. At that rate, councilmember salaries will rise from nearly $29,000 to over $34,000. The mayor’s salary will increase from more than $55,000 to almost $66,000.
The percentage increase is in line with comparison data city staff provided on how staff salaries have changed since 2015. That’s the last year the council and mayor saw a pay raise outside of cost-of-living adjustments.
Councilmembers Molly Miller, Tana Toly and Diego Zegara argued for the top end of the salary range staff recommended, or almost $38,000.
Toly compared the council to their Summit County peers, who earn $70,000 per year. Miller was concerned the salary would limit who could run for office.
“The correct number for council compensation is the number that allows a working person to run for office knowing that they will be able to survive or maybe even thrive when council compensation accounts for half of their income,” Miller said.
Councilmember Ed Parigian was in favor of the lower end of the range, which sat at almost $32,000. However, he agreed to come up to $34,000 if councilors agreed to have a broader discussion on long-term compensation this fall.
Councilmember Bill Circao didn’t want a raise higher than 10%.
“What we do is service, and in order to give service, you need to sacrifice,” Ciraco said.
The elected officials also receive health benefits totaling almost $30,000 per year. City staff say that number could rise in January. The mayor also has a car allowance.
The raises will be approved through an ordinance establishing elected officials' compensation and will be approved June 25 alongside the fiscal year 2027 budget.
