Government Operations Committee Meeting - February 6, 2025
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Government Operations Committee Meeting - February 6, 2025
The Government Operations Committee of the City of Frederick met on February 6, 2025, to discuss two main items: a proposed ordinance regarding recommendations from the Compensation Commission, and proposed water and sewer rates for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. The meeting was chaired by the Council President and included Councilmembers Kelly Russell and Donek Zumchak. The agenda also included approval of minutes from the January 23, 2025 meeting, but this item was not addressed during the meeting.
Discussion Items
1. Proposed Ordinance Regarding Recommendations of the Compensation Commission
The committee considered an ordinance to set compensation for the Mayor, City Council President, and City Council members for the next administration beginning December 11, 2025. The Compensation Commission recommended a 16.8% increase for the Mayor (from $112,640 to $131,497), an identical percentage increase for Council members (from $31,289 to $36,546), and a 20% differential for the Council President (to $43,855) due to expanded duties including agenda setting and staff oversight.
Councilmember Russell expressed concerns that the recommendations lacked a rational nexus and argued for higher compensation based on city employee grade scales. She proposed $151,000 for the Mayor (based on grade 15's 20% hiring flexibility), $45,000 for Council members (a 43.8% increase from the current salary), a 20% differential for the Council President, and a 10% differential for the Vice President. She also emphasized the need to attract diverse candidates and noted that the current salaries may deter lower-income individuals from running. Councilmember Zumchak questioned the 20% president differential, arguing that many council members have significant committee responsibilities and that the differential might not be justified. Discussion explored using the city's standard 7.5% grade differential for supervisory roles, leading to suggestions of 7.5% for Vice President and 15% for President. Councilmember Russell noted that the timing of the raise in an election year is distasteful and requested that future compensation commissions be convened every two years instead of four to avoid election-year timing.
2. Proposed Water and Sewer Rates for FY 2026–2030
The committee reviewed a five-year rate study conducted by NewGen Strategies, which recommended a 3% annual increase in water and sewer rates through fiscal year 2030. This would replace the expiring five-year schedule from 2019. The study projects revenues, expenditures, debt service, and capital improvements. Councilmembers noted that the 3% expenditure increase outpaces the 1% customer growth assumption. They inquired about the risk of higher inflation; the administration responded that if rates become inadequate, they could return to seek adjustments.
Key Outcomes
- The committee voted 2–1 (Councilmembers Russell and Zumchak in favor; the third committee member opposed) to advance the compensation ordinance as presented to a public hearing scheduled for February 20, 2025. The opposing member clarified the opposition was to the content, not to the procedural advancement.
- The committee voted unanimously to advance the water and sewer rate proposal to a public hearing.
Note: The meeting agenda included approval of minutes from January 23, 2025, but this item was not discussed during the meeting as reflected in the transcript.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. We call to order the government operations committee meeting for February 6, 2025. Let us stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Liberty and Justice for all. Welcome everyone to today's committee hearing. I'd like to welcome my colleagues, Councilmember Kelly Russell, and Councilmember Donek Zumchak, who is joining us today. Just a reminder that uh any comments that will be made today is at our discretion in regards to time limits and invitation. And today we have two discussion items on our agenda. The first discussion item is proposed ordinance regarding recommendation of the compensation commission. We now turn this over to Director of Budget Administration, Kitty Barkdahl. Thank you. Good afternoon. Um again, I'm Katie Bartle, the director of budget administration for the city. Um, and we are here today to discuss the ordinance to establish the compensation of the mayor and city council for the next administration beginning on December eleventh, twenty twenty-five. Um the amounts that are in the ordinance are based on the recommendations made by the compensation commission in a letter dated December sixteenth to the city council. The recommendations were discussed at the government operations committee meeting um that took place on January twenty-third. Sorry. Um hundred and thirty-one thousand four hundred and ninety-seven dollars. That would that equates to a sixteen point eight percent increase over the current salary of a hundred and twelve thousand six hundred and forty dollars. The council member's salary was to be increased by that same percent to thirty-six thousand five hundred and forty-six dollars. And the council president would be given a twenty percent pay differential due to the expanded duties, including setting agendas and uh council staff oversight. And I'm happy to take questions or help in the discussion. Any questions from my colleagues? So I'm not it's not necessarily a question, but certainly um uh comments on on the I'm gonna start off with the mayoral compensation. So um, thank you for pulling some information for me. I also um pulled some other information. It um I understand that the compensation for the mayor has been set at the recommendation is at the very very lowest end of grade fifteen. Um years since two thousand seventeen, the people who have been hired and just straight up hired in positions of grades thirteen through fifteen have an average twenty-seven percent above um that base pay. Um, there are only seven positions that have been hired in that time frame. I went back and I also pulled all of the um grade 15 positions, of which there are one, two, three, four, five, six, one which is not filled. Those positions are paid. Oversight of a 200 million dollar budget. Management of over 800 employees. The complexity of the role is it is truly massive. Now there have been some discussions about how there is no requirement for this person other than the fact that they live in the city and be 18 years of age. If that's the case, then why don't we just put them at a grade two and forget about it? Um because in essence, that's the requirements are the same right there. If we're talking about putting them at a grade 15, I think that it is fair to uh pay them something that is um so let me let me go back a little bit. Um somebody hiring somebody at a grade 15 is permitted to give them 20% over the lowest salary without any approval from the city council whatsoever. Uh um I you know I I multiplied that out and I I left the sheet up in my office, but I think it's right, it's right around 151,000 dollars a year. I think that is a more appropriate amount to pay the mayor, and I think that it has an actual rational nexus behind it. So I'm just gonna stop there. I have the the city council is a whole different follow axe. Now I realize that um this is difficult because it's politics, right? I'm gonna I'm not running. Said it a million times, I'll say it a million more. I have no dog in this fight except for as a resident of the city of Frederick who wants to be fair to the elected officials. Um this is my 23rd year in office. My first 12 years I did at about 12,000 a year. Um I certainly think that, and I I think the mayor at that time, I'm gonna be wrong about this.
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