Fort Worth voters say no to pay raise for mayor, City Council members
Fort Worth voters rejected a pay raise for the City Council 52.40% to 47.60% on Saturday, according to unofficial results early Sunday will all vote centers reporting.
This is the second attempt in less than a decade to increase mayor and council pay. An earlier effort in 2016 was soundly rejected by a two-to-one margin.
“I think the results don’t say the city doesn’t think we are worth it. I think it says we need to communicate to voters how demanding the job is if a council chooses to ask the voters again in the future,” said District 9 council member Elizabeth Beck.
Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens echoed Beck’s sentiments, saying both the city and the council could do a better job communicating with residents about how their tax dollars are being spent and the council’s role in directing that spending.
“When people see public art projects, they think that comes from heaven, but that comes from infrastructure based on decision the council made,” Bivens said. “We have to be able to show we’re worth the increase.”
The mayor makes $29,000 annually and individual council members make $25,000.
The proposition would have tied the mayor’s pay to half the average salary of department heads and the council members’ to half the average of the city assistant department heads. That comes out to $99,653 for the mayor, a 244% increase. The pay for council members would be $76,727, an increase of 207%.
However, Fort Worth is a council-manager form of government, meaning City Manager David Cooke and his staff are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the city.
Critics have argued the council’s role is merely to advise on policy and that its responsibilities don’t merit an increase in pay.
Both Parker and Beck have pushed back, saying the time commitment required to effectively advocate for needs of residents is a significant investment of time.
At a February council meeting, Beck framed the pay raise as a way to increase equity on the council by making it more accessible to lower income residents wishing to serve.
Right now only those who are independently wealthy, retired, or have jobs with flexible schedules can afford the privilege of being on city council, Beck said.
Parker did not acknowledge the council pay raise proposition in a written statement Saturday night. She thanked residents for participating in town halls and for making their voices heard through voting.
Two of the technical charter amendments also appeared unlikely to pass.
Proposition H, which would have eliminated the right for certain city staff members to have a public hearing after getting fired, had 49.02% approval compared to 50.98% against with 497 votes between them as of 10:38 p.m.
Proposition O, which would eliminate the need for public service corporations to file annual reports to the city, was defeated, with 72% of voters against the proposal.
This story was originally published May 7, 2022 at 7:15 PM.
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