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Portales council may consider pay raises

PORTALES — The Portales City Council will have the opportunity to approve pay raises for the next elected municipal judge, city councilors and mayor during its Tuesday meeting.

The ordinances to be considered 6:30 p.m. at the Memorial Building are the ones first introduced at the city’s July 9 meeting.

Pay for the municipal judge, effective after the 2022 municipal election, would be $25,000 annually. The salary has been $20,000 since 2006.

Councilors and the mayor have not seen a stipend increase since 1992. The salaries, and their effective dates, would be as follows if the ordinance is approved:

• Mayor: Would increase to $12,000 following the 2022 election. The current stipend is $7,800 annually.

• Mayor Pro Tem: The current salary is $6,600. The increase would be to $8,400, and could change following either the 2020 or 2022 election, depending on council actions.

• Councilors: The current salary is $4,800. It would go to $7,200, and be effective for four councilors elected in 2020 and the remaining four elected in 2022.

• Mayor Pro Tem: Currently $6,600 annually. Would increase to $8,400, with an effective date depending on post-election council actions in 2020.

• City Councilor: Currently $4,800 annually. Would increase to $7,200.

The increase would be effective after the 2020 municipal election for the seats currently held by Veronica Cordova (Ward A), Smith (Ward B), Chad Heflin (Ward C) and Michael “Jim” Lucero (Ward D). The increase would be effective after the 2022 election for the seats currently held by Jake Lopez (Ward A), Oscar Robinson (Ward B), Miller (Ward C) and Dianne Parker (Ward D).

Because the city has staggered city council terms, the ordinance will create a two-year period where a higher-ranking member of the council will be paid less than at least one lower-ranking member:

• If Miller is retained as mayor pro tem, or is replaced by Lopez, Robinson or Parker, the four newly elected councilors will each be paid more than the mayor pro tem.

• If a new mayor pro tem is chosen in 2020 from among the four newly elected councilors, that mayor pro tem will be paid more than Mayor Ron Jackson.

Other items on the Tuesday agenda include:

• An amendment to a tower lease agreement with AT&T.

• Final approval of an ordinance giving annual approval to ongoing economic development projects.

 
 
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