Morgantown City Council approved pay raises for future mayors and council members.
The second reading of an ordinance that would increase per-meeting pay from $250 to $350 for council members and from $350 to $450 for the mayor was passed in a 6-1 vote during the council’s meeting Tuesday.
The pay raise will be implemented starting for councilors serving in July 2027, with the measure passed to prevent a potential pay raise from being delayed until July 2029. This is despite concerns from both members of the council and city residents.
“T here’s not usually a good time to take care of matters like this, ” said Morgantown Mayor Jenny Selin. “It seemed as though this was the time to do it, in that if we waited, that then we would be looking at 2029 when it would take affect,” she said.
Councilor Danielle Trumble was the lone dissenting vote, basing her reasoning on an apparent lack of priorities from the City of Morgantown governing body. In her objection, she mentioned the multiple concerns from city employees, which have led to multiple departments losing staff members, as well as the numerous complaints from residents related to a lack of firm action on issues related to unsheltered individuals in the city. With those issues not resolved, adding to her multiple calls for a city charter change, she thought a no-vote was necessary.
“I still think it’s incredibly shortsighted that we are talking about this right now instead of so many other things,” said Trumble in her objection ahead of the vote.
