Mayor and council pay

There is a bit of controversy developing in Apex regarding mayor and council salaries. There are various council members across the region and state who have voted down their own pay increases during recent years. This sends a nice political message, although the savings to the town is minor compared to other town expenditures.

Elected officials are the targets of all sorts of accusations, however, someone must make policy decisions for the town. Whether or not you like those in office, that is their job. It is my feeling that elected officials should get the same pay increase percentage as town employees. Remember, elected positions are part time jobs, therefore the increase is very small. Example, a councilman in Holly Springs earns approximately $6300 per year. A 2% increase amounts to $126 per year or about $11 a month.

Frankly, any elected official who makes a big deal about council pay increases is really doing it for media exposure and political posturing. In my experience, most elected officials I served with earned their pay. I am not going to say it is a hard job, but you have to put in your time, learn the ropes and keep up with the latest developments. Some of my council peers who I learned the most from had as much or less experience than me. This was due to the time they put into the job, other career experiences or research they did on their own time. This is why these council pay increases are appropriate , especially in Holly Springs.

So if a council member or anyone in Holly Springs ever makes an issue about council pay increase, they are probably only talking about a few bucks, the equivalent of two meals at a fast food restaurant or two packs of cigarettes!