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NYC Council Shelves Lame-Duck Pay Vote, Sets Stage for January Raise Push

Backers plan a year-end hearing to let the next Council move it quickly in January.

Overview

  • The Council’s legal staff told members a pay hike cannot be adopted in 2025 under City Charter Section 27, so any vote is delayed until next year.
  • Nantasha Williams is introducing the bill with roughly 30–32 co-sponsors and is seeking a hearing this year to make the measure pre-considered for swift action in the new session.
  • The proposal calls for roughly 16% increases across top offices, lifting Council salaries from $148,500 to about $172,500 and taking the mayor’s pay to nearly $300,000, with comparable bumps for other citywide officials.
  • Watchdog groups, including Citizens Union, condemned attempts to advance raises after Election Day and pointed to the stalled Quadrennial Commission since 2016 as evidence of broken process.
  • The maneuver sets up an early decision for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and the incoming speaker, who could face a rapid vote soon after the new term begins.