Citizens Commission on Elected Officials Compensation Releases Final Report
[COLUMBUS, OH] The 2018 Citizens’ Commission on Elected Official Compensation submitted its final committee report to the Columbus City Clerk on November 6, 2018. The report provides an analysis of comparable public sector salaries in peer cities across the U.S. and makes recommendations for public official compensation based on the duties and responsibilities of each elected officer.
To view the report
click here.
Elected officials cannot benefit from any increase in salary during their current term in office. Therefore, under the Columbus City Charter, the Commission was tasked with making salary recommendations for elected officials in office after January 1, 2022. The Charter also mandates City Council pass legislation either accepting or rejecting the recommendations in whole or in part.
The Commission made the following recommendations:
Mayor
Effective 1/1/2022 - 2% increase in 2021 Base salary
Effective 1/1/2023 - 1/1/2025 - Base Salary + Annual Cost of Living Adjustment*
Council President
Effective 1/1/2022 – 20% increase in 2021 Base salary
Effective 1/1/2023 - 1/1/2025 - Base Salary + Annual Cost of Living Adjustment*
Councilmember
Effective 1/1/2022 – 20% increase in 2021 Base salary
Effective 1/1/2023 - 1/1/2025 - Base Salary + Annual Cost of Living Adjustment*
City Attorney
Effective 1/1/2022 - 4% increase in 2021 Base salary
Effective 1/1/2023 - 1/1/2025 - Base Salary + Annual Cost of Living Adjustment*
City Auditor
Effective 1/1/2022 - 4% increase in 2021 Base salary
Effective 1/1/2023 - 1/1/2025 - Base Salary + Annual Cost of Living Adjustment*
“We believe our recommendations are fair and reasonable and represent the levels of compensation for Columbus’ elected officials that reflect the work that they do on behalf of the citizens of this City. We encourage Columbus City Council to adopt these recommendations in their entirety,” said Commission Chairperson Fred Ransier.
The five-member Commission was established in 2015 as a result of changes to the Columbus City Charter to ensure the review and establishment of elected official compensation is done in a transparent process. Under the City Charter, the Commission is reconstituted every four years to review elected official compensation and make recommendations. The Commission convened six public meetings and a public hearing. Briefing materials and links to video of meetings are available online at
https://www.columbus.gov/council/2018CompensationCommission/.
* Annual cost of living adjustment shall not exceed the average increase in the CPI during the preceding four years.