Much is changing with Portland’s government as a result of the new massive overhaul. One change on that list could be increased pay to City Council members and the Mayor. In addition, members will no longer oversee city bureaus, but serve as more traditional policy legislators and representing geographic districts. A draft proposal by the five-person salary commission proposes a living wage pay hike for officials elected to Portland’s new form of government in 2025. The commission is holding five public hearings in July to get public input on its salary proposal.
Portland will, under the new program, expand the size of its City Council from four to 12 members. The salary commission’s proposed pay rates reportedly reflect a “thriving wage” salary for a single parent of one child. The plan on the table would also give the city auditor a 34% pay raise, increasing the base salary of $125,694 to $168,758. In addition, multilingual elected officials will earn more. The auditor would get an additional 4% salary increase.
The mayor’s base salary would increase by 17% – to $175,463 from $149,261. The City Council would get a 13% increase in annual pay to $142,404 from $125,694. To reach a living wage number, the group reportedly studied market pay data for elected officials in cities with comparable populations to Portland and interviewed past elected officials about financial constraints. They also considered how past salaries have kept some Portlanders from considering public office.
Multnomah County Commissioners earn what the Portland City Council is looking to move towards. As of July 2022, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson made $207,486 annually, while the four county commissioners made $125,000. The base pay for most Oregon lawmakers is $35,052, although they are allowed to hold outside jobs.
The governor of the state has an annual salary of $98,600. The state’s treasurer and secretary of state each earn $77,000 annually. Recently, the former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan was in hot water for getting paid by a marijuana conpany. She was fired over the controversial consulting contract.
