O'Fallon City Council to Consider Pay Raises

On Thursday evening, the O'Fallon City Council will hear the first reading for an ordinance to increase compensation for the city's elected officials.

Compensation was last set in 2001 at $19,500 per year for the mayor and $7,600 per year for council members.

The new ordinance would set compensation at $24,000 for the mayor and $12,000 for council members, and would go into effect for the winners of the April election.

The new rates of compensation were discussed at the Feb. 14 work session. There was no mention at the workshop of increasing the compensation for the President Pro Tempore, but proposed ordinance raises that compensation from $300 to $600, in addition to the basic council member compensation.

According to city documents, since compensation was last set in 2001, the City of O'Fallon has "continued to experience significant growth and the issues facing the City have increased in complexity."

The new rates, according to the ordinance language,

reflects in a more accurate way the demands made on the time and resources of those who serve their neighbors in this important way and the intrusion such service makes on one’s ability to earn income for one’s family, and make it feasible for more residents to consider public service by reducing to some extent the sacrifice they and their family members may experience by reason of such service.

Increases in the overall cost of living were also cited.

Here is how other St. Charles cities compare with compensation for elected officials:

Lake Saint Louis

St. Peters

St. Charles

O'Fallon- current