(The Center Square) — New York City Council members, already among the highest paid in the nation, could be in line for even fatter paychecks under a proposal that cleared a key committee vote on Tuesday.
The bill, which was approved by the Democratic-led Committee on Governmental Operations, State & Federal Legislation by a 5-1 vote, calls for convening a special commission this year to consider pay raises for the mayor, council members, the city comptroller, public advocate and other top positions.
A proposal filed by Councilwoman Nantasha Williams, a Queens Democrat, would boost council members’ annual pay by 16% from $148,500 to $172,500 and raise Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pay to nearly $350,000 from the current $258,000 with benefits. Collectively, the bill would increase the 50-member council’s salary budget from $7.5 million to $8.8 million.
But Williams’ bill was amended by the committee to set up a special commission to meet every four years and consider increased compensation for the city’s top governing board. The new commission, if approved, would be required to make its recommendation within 75 days.
Her plan faced pushback from government watchdogs, who packed a December public hearing on the bill to urge councilors to pause the pay raise plan, and to direct the Mamdani administration to convene an independent commission to weigh compensation for the elected officials.
Council members haven’t had a raise since 2016, when their pay increased by more than $30,000 per year. They are among the highest-paid city councilors in major U.S. cities, dwarfed only by Los Angeles and Chicago, according to published data.
But the consideration of pay raises for City Hall leaders comes as Mamdani wrestles with a $5.4 billion budget gap he claims was inherited for the previous Adams administration. The democratic socialist has threatened to increase property taxes unless lawmakers approve his plan to raise taxes on the city’s top earners and businesses.
Meanwhile, the City Council is also considering a new proposal that would increase the minimum wage to a nation-leading $30 per hour by 2030 for businesses with 500 or more employees, up from the current $17 per hour wage floor.
The bill, introduced on Tuesday by Democratic Councilmember Sandra Nurse, would help fulfil a key campaign for Mamdani, who also called for a $30 wage in the run-up to his election last year.
Business leaders have warned that a $30 minimum wage in New York City would hurt small businesses and contribute to an exodus of large employers to lower-tax states.
