Community Corner

SLP Council Votes to Raise their EDA Salary by 2 Percent

The council voted 4-2 in favor of increasing the compensation members receive for their work on the Economic Development Authority. The body also went forward in the process to raise their regular salaries.

The St. Louis Park city council voted Monday evening to give themselves a 2 percent pay hike for their work on the Economic Development Authority.

Council members will receive $4,385 per year starting Jan. 1—an increase of $186—for their role on the EDA board.

Council members voted 4-2 Monday in favor of the raise, with Sue Santa and Jake Spano opposing the motion.

The raise is "right around $200 a year, which is less than $5 a week," said Santa, who's running for re-election. "The pay itself is kind of a stipend and does not represent any relationship to any work done."

St. Louis Park public officials’ salaries are somewhat lower than average for the city’s comparative group of 24 similarly sized metro area municipalities. Though when the EDA stipend is taken into account, council members currently make about 24 percent more than their peers.

The council also voted 4-2 in favor of proceeding in the process to raise the mayor and council members' salary by 2 percent. A second reading will take place on Sept. 23. Council members are currently paid $6,807 per year, plus their Economic Development Authority compensation. The mayor receives $11,796 per year. 

“I don’t think any of us is doing this for the money—we’re not even making minimum wage—but I don’t want anyone to not be able to run,” council member Sue Sanger said in an August work session.



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