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STAFF REPORT <br />DATE: June 2, 2026 <br />WORKSHOP DISCUSSION <br /> <br />TO: Mayor and Councilmembers <br />FROM: Jennifer Doyle, Administrative Services Director <br />AGENDA ITEM: Council Salaries <br />CORE STRATEGIES: <br />☐ Vibrant, inclusive, connected community <br />☒ Responsive, transparent, adaptive governance <br />☐Managed Growth <br />☐ Efficient, reliable, innovative services <br />☐ Balanced Finances now and future <br />☐ Resilient Infrastructure <br />BACKGROUND: <br />City Code 3.08.080- Salaries of Mayor and Councilmembers states: “The mayor and councilmembers shall be paid <br />salaries as determined from time to time by the council and set by ordinance. An ordinance establishing council salaries <br />shall be adopted before a regular city election and shall not be effective until January 1 following such election.” <br />Council’s last compensation increase was approved in July of 2012 with an effective date of 1/1/2013. The mayor’s <br />salary increased from the 2008 approved rate of $3,915 per year to $6,250 and councilmembers’ from $3,130 to $4,860. <br />As this is an election year, any consideration for an increase to the mayor and council salaries would need to be <br />approved prior to the November 3rd election. <br />ISSUE BEFORE COUNCIL: <br />Does the council want to consider a change to the salary for councilmembers and the mayor effective 1/1/2027? <br />PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: <br />It has been 13 years since council has had an increase and per code the salaries were to be evaluated “from time to <br />time.” <br />I have attached a list of metro cities mayor and council salaries including cities that were found to be our comparable <br />cities, determined by the Flaherty & Hood Compensation study, for your review and consideration. If an effective date <br />was provided, that is also included. <br />An average of those comparable cities has been calculated as well as percent difference to Lake Elmo’s salaries <br />compared to the Minimum, Midpoint and Maximum salaries. I calculated the numbers both with and without the <br />highest and the lowest outliers for our comparable cities as they were significantly outside the “normal range” and