Houston mayor gets a big pay increase

HOUSTON — The mayor got a pay raise of 375 percent. And nobody seemed to mind.

Residents at the meeting were supportive, Houston City Clerk Steve Cunningham said. All the comments were in favor of the ordinance.

“With all the controversial stuff, I’m amazed it went as well as it did,” Cunningham said.

An ordinance passed 6-1 Thursday raising the mayor’s monthly compensation from $400 to $1,500. The raise will not take effect until October when the next mayor is elected by the new council.

The $400 stipend took effect in the 1970s. With limited pu blic services provided by the city, the requirement was for the mayor to put in 100 hours a month, said Deputy Mayor Lance Wilson.

As the city has grown over the past 30 years, the expectations of the mayor are a lot higher now, Wilson said. He said many people changed their minds about the raise when they learned the mayor is the city administrator as well as the figurehead. Besides the ceremonial duties, the mayor is in charge of the city’s day to day operation.

Councilman Lee Himes agreed, saying, “The public should realize we don’t have a city manager. He takes on both roles. The money is not enough for what you put in.”

For his part, Mayor Roger Purcell said the raise is warranted. With the 45 to 50 hours the position requires each week, he is spending his own money as mayor, he said. The $1,500 should come closer to covering the cost of being mayor. It should open the position to people other than just retirees, he said.

The lone dissenting vote came from Councilwoman Virgie Thompson. Thompson is concerned the city is spending more money without bringing more in. She said all the council members serve for the city, not the money, and the mayoral position is not directly elected by the people of the city.

“If we were a first-class city, we would pay a bit more to the mayoral position, and we would also elect them,” said Thompson.

Because Houston is a second-class city, the mayor is elected from the city council by its members after the general election in October.

“If the council sits the way it’s looking like it is now, Mr. Pucell would again be mayor. I feel uncomfortable with that,” Thompson said.

The council is looking at changing the city’s designation to a first-class city, Wilson said. He said the city has most of the essential services needed, and this would allow the public to elect the mayor directly.

Purcell, who said he starts his other job at 3:30 a.m. before he puts his mayor’s hat on, said he would be happy to have someone else fill the position come October.

“If someone was really good and I thought they would be moving forward with the city,” said Purcell, “I would be happy to let someone else spend the time so I could get back to my family and my job.”

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or (907) 352-2252.