A new ordinance proposes a roughly 55% pay raise for the mayor of the City of Fairbanks.
Councilmember Crystal Tidwell is sponsoring the measure, which would boost the mayor’s salary from $87,800 to $136,000. The increase would go into effect early next year, if approved by the Fairbanks City Council.
The council discussed the salary ordinance at a work session Tuesday, and Tidwell said the change is meant to provide adequate compensation for someone who may be stepping away from their day job to lead Alaska’s second most populated city.
“The mayor’s position is a full-time job, and that’s what I would expect somebody to do in that position,” she said.
The City of Fairbanks has a strong mayor form of government, meaning whoever holds the office serves as the chief administrator tasked with carrying out city business and supervising enforcement of local laws.
Mayor Mindy O’Neall said Tuesday the salary should match the job description, though she didn’t directly say whether $136,000 is the right number.
“If the city really wants a strong mayor position, I think it bodes well to have a compensation that reflects that responsibility,” O’Neall said.
The pay bump would lift the city mayor’s salary slightly above that of the Fairbanks North Star Borough mayor, which is $133,370. The new salary would still be about $9,000 less than what the Anchorage mayor makes.
Michael Sanders has worked at the City of Fairbanks for nearly a decade, and he’s been chief of staff since 2022, serving in that position under the last three mayors.
According to Sanders the raise is warranted and overdue, and he said he also pushed for it during former Mayor David Pruhs’ term.
“If we expect a mayor to actually put in the hours like Mayor O’Neall is and like Mayor Pruhs did before her, I don’t think the [current] amount of compensation is just in any way,” he said.
Not all council members believe the change is necessary, including Jerry Cleworth, a former city mayor.
He said the post is political and shouldn’t have pay that’s comparable with city department heads. Their salaries range from about $123,900 for the city clerk to $162,970 for the fire and police chiefs, according to budget documents. (At $163,550, the deputy police chief earns a little more than the fire and police chiefs.)
“When we fill the department head position, we’re looking for a professional with credentials and all that. We have to be competitive on the open market,” Cleworth said. “When I ran for mayor, and everybody [who] ran for mayor, we knew what it paid.”
The salary measure sponsored by Tidwell wasn’t the only proposal at the work session that looks to adjust pay for city elected officials. A separate ordinance proposes doubling the monthly $500 stipend for council members starting next year. That measure, sponsored by O’Neall, also drew mixed reactions.
Neither ordinance has been introduced at a regular meeting, but they are set to appear on the consent agenda Monday. That likely puts them on track for a public hearing and final vote Feb. 9.