FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF)- The city of Fort Worth’s mayor and council members are asking voters to approve a pay raise that would more than triple their salary.
This will be placed on the May election ballot for Fort Worth residents to decide.
The mayor’s salary would jump from $29,000 to $99,000, and council members would get a raise from $25,000 to $76,000.
The raises, if approved, would go into effect on Oct. 1, when the city’s new fiscal year begins.
The pay bumps would put Fort Worth officials more in line with those in Dallas, where Mayor Eric Johnson makes $80,000 per year and councilmembers make $60,000.
The Fort Worth positions are considered part-time, but Mayor Mattie Parker and council members say their commitment is full time and the jobs take more than part-time hours.
“We want to serve well on behalf of the people of Fort Worth, the fastest-growing city in the country,” Parker said at Tuesday night’s council meeting. “I think we’re worth it, frankly.”
Fort Worth put a council and pay raise on the ballot in 2016, but voters rejected it. The proposition in 2016 would have given council a raise to $45,000 and the mayor a raise to $60,000.
