Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - With a vote of 5-3, the Buffalo Common Council on Tuesday approved to raise their own salaries, including Mayor Byron Brown and the City Comptroller, by about 12.6%. The increase will be the first pay raises for the positions since 2019.
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This increase was a recommendation from a report made by the city’s Citizen Salary Review Commission. The annual salary increases, effective the beginning of 2024, will be as follows:
Mayor: $178,519, an additional $20,019 a year increase
Common Council members: $84,472, an additional $9,472 a year increase
Comptroller: $134,593, an additional $15,093 a year increase
"I think there's never going to be a time, an easy time, to have any raises anywhere for government workers," said Council President Darius Pridgen.
"The difference [between] government raises and industry raises, [is that the] industry could raise their pay at any time. You're only on the council every four years. And there is no opportunity again for another four years [for an increase]. That's not guaranteed. So I understand why the council members would want that."
Three councilmen were opposed to the raises, Councilmen Joseph Golombek, Bryan Bollman, and President Pro Tempore Chris Scanlon. Councilman Rasheed Wyatt was not present for the vote.
Councilman Golombek shared his opinion with WBEN before the vote.
"There's never really any good way for elected officials to decide on their salary. Because if you vote for it, you're greedy. If you vote against it, you're the guardian of the taxpayer dollars. So it's very difficult, in my opinion. I know that one of the reasons why I'm voting no is that we were given a very fair raise four years ago, and we had not received when on the Council for approximately 20 years. I just think that this is too much too early, and especially at a time when inflation is going crazy. Taxes are being raised. I just don't think it's a good look and I just don't think it's right at this point."
Buffalo Public Schools' Board of Education gets a bigger pay bump than expected
There was one deviation to the plan the report by the Citizens Salary Review Commission, and that was the stipend increases for Buffalo Public Schools' Board of Education.
The Commission recommended $16,984, up from $15,000, but the Board of Education contacted the Council to increase their annual stipends to a much larger amount: $28,000 a year. That's nearly an 87% increase.
"The school board did approach us about raising theirs higher. Now, that does not come out of the city budget, it comes out of the school board budget. They were accompanied by the superintendent. I can tell you this, as one who was on the school board, they do a tremendous amount of work. I think out of all of the governments that we have here, the school board is one of the most important and most vital," noted Council President Pridgen.