Council members Michael Tobias, Daniela Parsley and Miguel Zuniga were the dissenting votes.
The background
Currently, council members receive a monthly salary of $1,000, and the mayor receives $1,300, with an expense stipend of $500 a month, according to agenda documents. The dais also has access to the city’s health insurance plan, but the cost is deducted from their monthly salary.
What residents are saying
During the citizens comment period, multiple residents spoke out against the agenda item regarding the proposed council stipend and city health insurance.
Kyle resident Eileen Escalante said she objected to the dais receiving insurance because they are part-time employees and servants to the community.
“I just don’t think it’s a good use of city money,” Escalante said.
Stephanie McDonald said council members were asking for a benefit other part-time employees do not have.
“Right now, you can get on the city insurance, but it’s at your own expense,” she said.
What council members saying
Council member Parsley emphasized that amending the ordinance would change the budget significantly and wondered what happens for members of the dais who will not be taking insurance benefits.
“I think that should be a discussion that gets added once the compensation committee meets again,” Parsley said.
Mayor Travis Mitchell said it was difficult to maintain full-time employment with benefits if you are a mayor or council member.
“I’ve always felt that council members should be paid in such a way that the amount of compensation that comes to them is never so much that they would run for City Council so that they could be compensated for the money or for the benefits. I’ve also felt that council members should never be paid so little that the average resident is prevented from running for council because the sacrifice required to do the job right causes them to struggle to maintain full-time employment,” Mitchell said.
