Prop 413 Would Give Huge Salary Increases to Tucson Mayor & Council Members

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Prop. 413 on the General Election City of Tucson ballot would increase salaries of the Mayor & Council members. Here’s info from City of Tucson: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/Government/Proposition-413

“If approved by voters, Proposition 413 would adjust the annual current salary of the Mayor and the Council Members, effective Dec. 4, 2023:

• The Mayor’s current salary of $42,000 per year would increase to be commensurate with 1.25 times the salary set for the members of the Pima County Board of Supervisors (or $95,750/year)
• Each Council Members’ salary of $24,000 per year would increase to be commensurate with the salary set for the members of the Pima County Board of Supervisors (or $76,000/year).

Key Factors Behind the Salary Adjustments

The 2023 Citizens’ Commission on Public Service and Compensation (CCPSC), an all-volunteer and diverse group of seven residents, studied these salary adjustments and obtained public input to develop a final report (find the report here: https://bit.ly/prop413report). The CCPSC cited these key factors in their recommendation for increases:

• The Mayor and Council have not received a salary increase since 1999.
• The current salaries do not meet living wage requirements.
• Tucson – the second largest city in the state – lags the five largest cities in Arizona in compensation to elected leaders.
• A salary increase would be absorbed by the City budget and not negatively affect City services.
• Each member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors earns more than the Mayor and Council, despite that the City’s budget is larger ($2.2B) than the County’s budget ($1.8B).
• Reasonable compensation for Tucson’s Mayor and Council Members will help to attract diverse community members to pursue public office in the future.”

There’s also a Yes on Prop. 413 website: https://www.yesonprop413.com/

Pima County Democratic Party has endorsed this proposition: https://pimadems.org/2023/09/pcdp-endorses-proposition-413/

In opposition to Prop 413 are Dave Smith, Chair of Pima County Republican Party and Republican Mayoral candidate Janet Wittenbraker, (page 19 of “The Choice is Yours” booklet sent to voters this week.)

UPDATE 10/29/23: Even Ward 6 Councilman Steve Kozachik is against it: https://tucson.com/opinion/column/local-opinion-city-officials-salaries-should-rise-but-prop-413-goes-too-far/article_c115b588-72dd-11ee-84aa-af1cfbe75499.html

Various other politicians and groups are in favor: Tucson Metro Chamber, YWCA of Southern AZ, Las Adelitas Arizona, D 2 Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz & PCC board members Theresa Riel & Maria Garcia, former Tucson Councilmember Karin Uhlich, among others. More endorsements listed on the Yes on Prop 413 website: https://www.yesonprop413.com/support (including CD 7 Congressman Raul Grijalva, D 5 Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, and former Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild).

Carolyn’s note: First heard about this huge salary increase from blogger Three Sonorans: “Prop 413: Give Tucson Mayor Regina Romero Triple pay, Councilmembers get Quadruple current salary!”: https://threesonorans.substack.com/p/prop-413-give-tucson-mayor-regina?r=xrjwl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&fbclid=IwAR2WXzCGvR14hUK8i5vwyB9FIqC–1ZaPOZ0Peo-LZ7cIYcUjKTq_efdj0I

The last election for a proposed salary increase for the Tucson Mayor & Council was in Nov. 2021. It was narrowly defeated by 970 votes: Yes 41,291 and No 42,261.

Early ballots go out on Oct. 11, 2023. Vote wisely on or before Nov. 7, 2023

17 thoughts on “Prop 413 Would Give Huge Salary Increases to Tucson Mayor & Council Members”

  1. Even Ward 6 Councilman Steve K, whose salary would rise if Prop. 413 should pass, is against it: https://tucson.com/opinion/column/local-opinion-city-officials-salaries-should-rise-but-prop-413-goes-too-far/article_c115b588-72dd-11ee-84aa-af1cfbe75499.html. I’ve counted the guest opinions in the AZ Daily Star and there’s been 4 for it, 2 against it. The ones for have been from Az List, former PCC Board members, Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz and Women’s Foundation for State of AZ. Against have been from former T Weekly reporter Dave Devine and Steve K.

    More info from Steve K’s 10/30/23 newsletter: Prop 413
    “Proposition 413 is on the ballot that you’ve received in the mail. I cannot use city resources to lobby for or against ballot measures. But I can lay out the facts. Some of them have been lacking in the printed material that has gone out.

    Currently the mayor is paid $42K annually, and city council members are paid $24K. Those amounts are set by the City Charter. Also set by Charter is the process for changing the salaries. Every 2 years the city manager appoints a 7-member citizen commission who studies the issue of M&C salaries and makes a recommendation for the voters to decide. The M&C do not have the authority to alter what the commission recommends.

    This year the commission recommended that we do away with the Charter process of having a new recommended salary adjustment every 2 years and instead tie our pay to the pay received by the Board of Supervisors. Theirs is tied to a state statute (ARS 11-419) so the voters never weigh in on whether, when and by how much their salaries get adjusted. Currently Supervisors are paid $76,600 per year. If Proposition 413 is passed on December 4th of this year all council members would begin receiving that amount. Prop 413 says the mayor’s salary would be 1.25x what council members make, so on December 4th of this year if 413 passes the mayor will begin receiving $95,750 annually.

    ARS 11-419 already has a built-in salary increase. Beginning on January 1st, 2025, Supervisors will see their pay increase to 96,600 per year. If 413 passes city council members would also receive that amount with the caveat that it wouldn’t start until December of ‘25. The mayor would receive 1.25x that amount, or $120,750 per year. The only way that would not happen is if the city manager appointed a commission in ‘25, that commission recommended that we decouple M&C salaries from the automatic statutory adjustments and keep us at $76K and $95K. Then the voters would have to approve that change. That’s unlikely.

    Here’s the language from the ballot measure that ties what would be our new salaries to any statutory increases the supervisors receive:

    Statement in the ballot for Proposition 413
    And ARS 11-419 says this:

    ARS 11-419
    Being an educated voter is all about doing your homework. That’s difficult when the informational material you get doesn’t tell the full story about what you’re voting on. As Paul Harvey used to say, ‘now you know the rest of the story.’ I hope this helps in your decision-making.”

    • “The mayor’s salary would more than double ($42,000 to $95,750) while council members would triple their pay ($24,000 to $76,600).”

      So what? It’s probably the last pay increase they will get from now until Earth’s final days.

  5. City of Tucson’s NewsNet Daily Digest of 10/4/23 listed this info (sent by email):

    “TUCSON VOTERS TO DECIDE PAY RAISES FOR MAYOR AND COUNCIL IN NOVEMBER – If approved by voters Tuesday, Nov. 7, Proposition 413 would adjust the annual current salary of the Mayor and the Council members, effective Dec. 4, 2023. The mayor’s current salary of $42,000 per year would increase to $95,750 a year, and each council members’ salary of $24,000 per year would increase to $76,000 a year. The higher wages would be commensurate with the salaries set for the members of the Pima County Board of Supervisors. The 2023 Citizens’ Commission on Public Service and Compensation (CCPSC), an all-volunteer and diverse group of seven residents, studied these salary adjustments and obtained public input to develop the final report on the proposed wages. Mayor and Council has not received a salary increase since 1999, and their current salaries do not meet living wage requirements.
    Proposition 413 fact sheet
    CCPSC final report (PDF)”

  6. Reality check:
    The average City Councilman in Phoenix, AZ makes $37,232. This pay is the same as the combined average salaries of other metros Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA and Denver, CO

        • Johnny, I know you’re just trolling but you take it too far.

          Paying 24K to a council member in 2023 is beyond ridiculous. The only people who can work for that amount either don’t need the money or have a full time job elsewhere.

          That excludes a lot of potential candidates.

          Furthermore, it’s just plain stupid.

          Also, provide a source for this statement, “This pay is the same as the combined average salaries of other metros Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA and Denver, CO.” I spent at least 90 seconds on a Google search and got something completely different.

          • “Also, provide a source for this statement, “This pay is the same as the combined average salaries of other metros …”

            That will never happen as it violates his imagined “Troll Code of Conduct”. To tailor a classic comment: “Forget it Jane, it’s Kavanaugh”.

    • Hi Johnny! Saw you on Last Week Tonight this week.

      They showed the clip of you making jokes about how the medical service provider you hired for Arizona’s prisons tortured a woman by pouring sugar into an open C-section.

      You sick, disgusting f’k.

      RaicesTexasDotOrg

        • Thanks Liza.

          Never let the world forget who this POS is.

          He should have been demanding an investigation and incarceration for the nurse or doctor who did this to this woman in the name of Arizona.

          This pissant has no respect for his own religion (but oh he’ll lecture you on God, oh my yes he will) or the Constitution of the United States of America, or other human beings.

          I wonder what whimsical comment he’d have made if the woman had died?

          RaicesTexasDotOrg

      • Once again Prison Geppetto shows what a detestable slug he really is. On second thought though Mother Nature’s slugs can wreak havoc on gardens they do have some beneficial qualities such as feeding on dead leaves, dead insects & dead worms. Prison Geppetto just endorses mindless cruelty and believes it’s comedy gold.

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