Mayor Birney Disbands Salary Commission

Mayor Angela Birney

As Mayor, my job is to manage the City and the financial resources entrusted to me by the community and to ensure that your tax dollars are spent responsibly on services that best serve the priorities of Redmond. To maintain the City’s finances, I have no choice but to take action. As of today, Friday, May 26, 2023, I have notified and officially disbanded the Salary Commission, per my authority outlined in Ordinance No. 2111 and Revised Code of Washington 35.21.015(2)(c).

My decision is based on the Salary Commission members demonstrating their inability to follow the required guidelines and processes. The Salary Commission members have attempted to proceed via special meetings with short notice to staff and the community and without considering the following:

• Complete analysis of Council salaries in comparable cities
• Information concerning the fiscal impact of the proposed salary increases on the City’s adopted budget
• Information concerning whether and how many staff would be required to be laid off to pay for the extraordinary 600% increase in Councilmember compensation
• Allowing sufficient time to notify the community and receive your input

In March of this year, per Ordinance No. 2111, I appointed an independent Salary Commission to review the City Council’s annual salary. At a special meeting held on Thursday, May 18, 2023, the Salary Commission proposed to raise Councilmember’s annual salaries from $18,648 to $115,294 ($142,965 including benefits). The figure they proposed stemmed from individual commissioners' suggestions and was based on the average number of hours that some current members of the Council stated they work on a weekly basis.

 The commission had planned to vote on their recommendation at their next meeting, previously scheduled for next week. Per state law, with a majority vote, the Salary Commission decision would be final and go into effect 30 days from receipt by the City Clerk’s Office if no referendum is filed by the community.  

State statutes creating City Councils in cities like Redmond do not make Council positions full-time, and members can devote as many or few hours as they deem appropriate. Raising Council salaries to a full-time wage of $115,294, plus benefits, will require revenue increases or expenditure reductions of $870,216 annually.

To put this in perspective, the City of Redmond’s biennial budget totals approximately $1 billion for 2023-2024, of which 23% or $233 million consists of General Fund discretionary dollars (excluding reserves and fund balances). Annually the General Fund budget equals approximately $116 million. All other funds that comprise the City’s budget are earmarked by state statute or Council policy for specific uses. The General Fund, however, can be used for general city purposes.

The 2023-2024 budget creation relied on one-time money to restore a small portion of the 17.63 full-time equivalent employees laid off, and programs and services sharply reduced during the pandemic years. City revenues are slowly recovering, but are not up to pre-pandemic levels. In addition, all economic indicators point to a recession on the horizon.

Thank you to the community members who have shared their thoughts on this topic with me, Councilmembers, and the now-disbanded Salary Commission. Your feedback directly informed my decision, and your continued input will be equally important as I determine the next steps, of which I will keep you informed.

Sincerely,

Mayor Angela Birney
MayorCouncil@redmond.gov

Opinion:  The City rakes in millions of dollars from construction and development taxes.  B.Y.