Pay raises for city administrator, mayor, council to be considered tonight by Mason City’s City Council

MASON CITY — Pay raises for the city administrator, mayor and city council will be considered during tonight’s meeting of the City Council in Mason City. 

== Mayor Bill Schickel in a memo to the council is recommending that City Administrator Aaron Burnett’s annual salary be adjusted from $193,440 to $210,000 and that he be given an additional week of vacation. Schickel says Burnett has not received a wage increase other than an annual cost of living adjustment during his five-year tenure. Schickel cites that Burnett had a median score of 94% positive on ten performance related metrics during his annual performance review, an increase from 90% the previous year. Schickel also points to the success of Mason City landing a $4.5 million Destination Iowa grant recently as well as a $1 million housing grant. 

== The council in a separate action will consider changing the salary for the mayor and council starting in calendar year 2024. The city’s Human Resources Director Perry Buffington says the salaries for those positions have not changed since 2015, and raises in salaries were discussed during the budget process for Fiscal Year 2024. The proposal would be to increase the salary of mayor from $13,200 to $21,384, and for a city councilman from $7400 to $12,000. State law does not allow for raises to be altered in the term the elected official is serving. Since the salary proposal is part of changing City Code, three readings of an ordinance are required, with the first taking place tonight. 

The City Council meets tonight at 7 o’clock in the Mason City Room of the Public Library.