Dover City Council members discussed declining their annual pay raise at their June 9 council meeting.
The salary for Dover’s city council members and mayor increase annually, in accordance with the city charter. This year’s raise is 4 percent.
Council member Brian Lewis was one voice in support of declining the raise.
“The city can keep my 4% increase and give it back to the taxpayers, is pretty much what I said…” Lewis said. “In my view, why accept it if it may be able to fund or offset a city service and lighten up a hardship for our citizens who may be struggling?”
Council member David Anderson said he supports the move this year but doesn’t want council members to make a habit of going against the charter. Two other council members concurred.
“Quite frankly, it's just a few thousand dollars…” Anderson said. “The reason why the charter was designed to have the [councilmember salaries treated the] same as the non-bargaining employees, is… it keeps there from being the need for a large increase later.”
Anderson said the raise adjusts slightly every year to keep up with other staff wages.
Lewis said he wanted the city to keep his raise last year, too, but was required to accept it.
“So what I decided to do was, I give it to charity,” Lewis said. “I give it to nonprofits. Since I couldn't give it back to the city, I don't keep it. I give it to nonprofits. Because my service on City Council is certainly not about the salary. It's about the duties of serving the public.”
Lewis added he wants to see declined pay go toward constituents and what Lewis calls a “paper thin” budget.
Council President Fred Neil said he also sent excess salary back into the community.
“I also want to [remind] members of the council that I voted against the increase to begin with,” Neil said.
That vote occurred with a previous group of council members.
The city solicitor said if council members officially voted on declining the raise, the charter would have to be changed and those changes would have to be approved by the General Assembly.
