Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A motion offered and approved in the final minutes of Monday night's meeting of the Rochester City Council could lead to major pay raises for the elected officials.

The Council voted 6-1, with 5th Ward Councilmember Shaun Palmer in the minority, to approve a resolution put forward by 2nd Ward Councilmember Michael Wojcik that was not part of the published agenda. It calls for city staff to analyze the budgetary and other impacts of adopting a pay scale for members of the City Council and Rochester Mayor based on the median household income in Olmsted County.

City of Rochester
Michael Wojcik (City of Rochester)
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Wojcik's proposal would set the pay for the councilmembers at 80-percent of that figure, while the mayor's pay would equal 120-percent of the most recent calculation of median household income in the County. The US Census currently puts that number, based on 2017 data, at about $72,500. That would boost the salaries for the councilmembers from just under $22,000 to almost $58,000, while the pay for Rochester Mayor would rise from a bit over $37,500 to over $86,500 per year.

1st Ward Councilmember Patrick Keane questioned whether that payscale would reflect the part-time classification of all the affected positions, which Wojcik indicated is among the issues to be decided by the City Council. The staff analysis is expected to be presented to the Council at its meeting on December 2nd.

 

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