“Nobody’s doing it to make money.”
Few would quibble with that assertion about service on the Falls Church City Council, made Oct. 7 by Vice Mayor Debora Schantz-Hiscott.
City Council members next month are expected to start the ball rolling on a multi-year process that could see their salaries, stagnant from 2007-22, move higher for a second time in a four-year span.
Recent authorization from the General Assembly allows cities with populations of less than 15,000 to increase the pay of council members from the existing $11,000 to $20,000, and for the mayor from $11,500 to $21,000. And at a City Council work session, board members began discussing the prospect.
Raising pay would provide “an opportunity for as many people as possible” to seek elected office without incurring financial burdens, Schantz-Hiscott said.
“People are doing it for their civic duty,” she said, adding that she spends about 30 hours per week on city business. The works out to about $7 per hour.
“It’s been artificially low, in my opinion,” Schantz-Hiscott said of the pay level.
Her council colleague, Erin Flynn, was not opposed to an increase but wanted much more discussion before considering moving to the maximum amount.
“You’re talking about an 80 percent increase,” she said.
Council member David Snyder said he wanted to hear from constituents about appropriate pay levels.
“What do the citizens want? Do they think it’s warranted?” he said of a pay raise.
For 15 years, City Council members’ pay was capped at $9,200 before rising several years ago to the current $11,000.
Under state law, Falls Church officials would be required to hold a public hearing and adopt a pay-raise ordinance at least four months before the November 2025 City Council election. Any pay raise would be effective July 1, 2026.
Should Falls Church’s population increase beyond 15,000, the salary cap under state law would rise to $21,000 for council members and $22,000 for mayor.
At the Oct. 7 work session, City Council members decided to hold off on taking action to put the wheels in motion until Nov. 12, five days after a special election that will determine whether Laura Downs or John Murphy fills a current council vacancy. The winner will be sworn in at the start of that City Council meeting.
Also discussed on Oct. 7 was the city-government benefits package and how it might apply in the future to City Council members.
Currently, elected officials are eligible to participate in the city’s health-insurance plan but, as they are classified as part-time employees, are not eligible for other benefits.
