Council Rejects Proposal To Increase Mayor And Metro Council Pay

Councilman Ronnie Steine pushed a bill seeking to raise the pay of Metro Council members and the mayor. Credit: Submitted

Nashville elected officials will not be getting a pay raise next year. On Tuesday, Metro Council voted down a measure that would’ve increased the compensation of the city’s next mayor and the city’s 40 council members by more than a third.

Metro’s elected officials haven’t received a pay bump in more than a decade, and a new study from a consulting firm concluded that Nashville’s pay trails comparable cities by 32 percent.

Still, the measure was voted down 24 to 13.

Councilman Ronnie Steine, co-sponsor of the bill, was one of its biggest backers. He argued that given the amount of work that goes into holding local office and the fact that compensation hasn’t been raised in many years, it’s time to address the issue.

But Councilman Robert Duvall was among the naysayers. He says if city employees can’t get a pay raise, why should Nashville’s elected officials deserve one?

“The bottom line is: we don’t have to run for the office. We don’t have to serve. Most of us serve on this council because we care about Nashville and not for the money,” Duvall said.

Council member Josh Stites also expressed reservations, saying the bill is part of the reason why voters have grown cynical with local government.

“The same Council that voted to raise taxes while giving tax breaks to corporations turns around and votes themselves a pay increase,” he said. “It’s shameful, embarrassing and it needs to be defeated.”

Currently the city’s mayor earns around $136,000 a year, and council members make around $15,000 annually, but most have full-time jobs outside of their council obligations.