Keep in mind we're not just thinking about council compensation right now, but way into the future.Kit Anderson, CivicLex deputy director, speaking to the Civic Assembly
Kit Anderson with CivicLex, the nonprofit that put together the assembly, walked the 36-member group through details about how council pay is set, how many hours council members work, whether they have benefits, and other background. She also reminded participants that CivicLex's recent poll on the issue revealed a fairly even split on how local respondents viewed the question.
"We had 370 people say council pay should be increased and it should be a full-time job. We had 356 say it should stay how it is. We had 40 people say it should be completely unpaid. Some people said I'm not sure and that they needed more information about it," Anderson said.
The assembly is taking a fresh look at the city's charter in order to deliver recommendations to the city council — ones the body has formally agreed to hear and consider.
CivicLex does not take any positions on the questions.
The council is seeing significant turnover, with some outgoing members citing compensation as a factor in their decision. District council members make about $41,000 a year. Altogether, CivicLex calculated that constituents pay about $2 a person toward council pay.
Fayette County Clerk and former council member Susan Lamb said she's curious to see which direction the assembly goes in their discussions.
"It is a public service position and I don't want that to be misconstrued, the level of importance of the public service," she said.
Assembly members also heard how peer cities handle council pay and then had a chance to speak in small groups with current and former council members.
The assembly's next meeting is March 10, when the group will hear about charter review.