Pay increase is ‘the best way to make our Council more effective’

When I was selected for the Civic Assembly to consider Council compensation, I already knew the popular line among councilmembers: “working on Council is a full-time job, and we should earn full-time pay.” I, frankly, heard this argument and rolled my eyes.

Plenty of Lexingtonians – including me and my friends – work full-time jobs and make about the same as councilmembers, who earn about $41,000 per year. Regardless of what some have said over the last several months, $41,000 is full-time pay.

I stand by that statement and, perhaps surprisingly, also voted to increase councilmember compensation. I’d like to use this space to explain why.

Urban County Council should be made up of average Lexingtonians. Just like the Lexingtonians I met in the assembly, councilmembers should work hard and care deeply about their communities. And, I believe, Council pay should be similar to what the average Lexingtonian earns each year.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual wage in Lexington is $59,987 per year – the exact annual wage the Civic Assembly suggested for Council.

For councilmembers to move Lexington forward, Urban County Council must be a full-time job. Councilmembers must be involved in their communities, educated on the issues, and in attendance for required meetings. They must attend events and speaking engagements during nights and weekends. Many work more than 50 hours per week. As the role exists now, very few people are willing — or even able — to run for office. In 2024, five of the 12 Council seats ran unopposed.

Increasing compensation will attract more people to run for public office, increasing competition for Council and giving Lexingtonians the freedom to choose councilmembers who take the job seriously.

This pay increase doesn’t come without strings; as an assembly, we also voted to advance a recommendation to mandate publicly viewable attendance and accountability expectations for Council.

Council compensation was a controversial topic in the assembly, but in the end, more than 70% of us agreed that a compensation increase was the best way to make our Council more effective. I hope Council will support our proposal and send these changes to the ballot, and I hope Lexingtonians will vote to increase council pay to the average Lexington annual income – $59,987.