The mayor and commissioners of Coral Springs want to raise their salaries to keep up with the salaries and costs of elected officials in surrounding cities

Coral Springs, Florida – Later this year, the remuneration of Coral Springs’ mayor and city commissioners may be increased to reflect increases in the wages and overhead of public officials in neighboring cities.

This week, commissioners approved putting a new compensation formula on the ballot for November.

Should voter approval be obtained, the pay scale for the elected officials of the city would be adjusted by deducting two percent from the average income of the mayors and commissioners of four neighboring communities (Coconut Creek, Margate, Pompano Beach, and Tamarac).

The city’s Charter Evaluation Committee, composed of people, has recommended this amendment to the commission for consideration every ten years. The committee also works with the city clerk and legal team to evaluate the city’s charter.

All proposed modifications to the city’s charter will be put on the ballot in the November election as required by city regulations, and to be implemented, they must be ratified by the majority of voters.

A city investigation states that the compensation of the mayors and commissioners of the surrounding cities is currently up to three times more than that of Coral Springs.

According to city records, the mayor of Coral Springs makes $28,180 per year based on his existing salary, plus an additional $4,800 for costs. Commissioners are paid $22,540 per year plus $3,840 in costs.

In contrast, a city review based on estimates of actual salary states that the mayor of Coconut Creek makes $42,037 annually and incurs an additional $7,200 in expenses. Commissioners receive $38,938 in compensation annually in addition to $7,200 in benefits.

Furthermore, the city study states that the mayor of Tamarac receives $68,800 per year in salary in addition to $6,000 in costs. Commissioners receive a yearly salary of $57,094 in addition to an additional $6,000 in expenditures.

“We want to be paid a livable wage. And currently, our compensation doesn’t match that,” said Coral Springs Commissioner Nancy Metayer Bowen before the commission’s first of two votes on the measure last month.

She added: “We want to make sure the voices up here are diverse, whether that’s ethnically or professionally, and just bringing forth various perspectives. And for that to happen, we need to compensate our folks their worth.”

“All of us have full-time jobs. It was never about the money but about the fact that our time is being compensated accurately,” Commissioner Joshua Simmons said during the same meeting last month.

The compensation system could alter as soon as after the election on November 5 if voters approve the plan.