Though he has only been on the job for a few weeks, new Burlington Councilman Bill Maupin has been losing sleep over whether to approve a pay raise for the city council.
He said as much before voting on the matter Tuesday night.
“I’ve been back and forth on this, and after talking to people in the community, I don’t know how I’m going to vote,” Maupin said before voting.
The second reading of the much-discussed resolution passed by a vote of 3-2 Tuesday night, with Maupin and Lynda-Graham Murray voting against it. Mayor Jon Billups said a third and final reading will be voted on in the near future, so the decision is not yet final.
Burlington resident Chris Roepke, who lost to Maupin and Critser in last year’s city election, was the only member of the public to voice disapproval over the pay raise.
“It is a service position,” Roepke argued, though he said he would be fine with a smaller raise.
The pay raise would bring compensation more in line with other cities the size of Burlington. That means increasing the mayor’s salary from $6,600 a year to $10,000 a year. The salary of the council members would increase from $6,000 to $9,000 annually.
If the final reading is approved, the raise wouldn’t take effect until 2022, so not all the current council members may benefit.