Overview
- At a Dec. 16 Governmental Operations Committee hearing, Citizens Union and Common Cause urged the Council to pause the bill and route pay decisions through an independent compensation commission.
- The proposal from Councilmember Nantasha Williams would lift Council salaries from $148,500 to $172,500 and raise pay for the mayor, comptroller, public advocate and borough presidents, with the mayor’s salary moving to $300,500; district attorneys would receive a 6% bump.
- Sponsors prepared the measure now to reintroduce it as a pre-considered bill in January to avoid the charter’s lame-duck voting ban, a timing tactic a New York Law School professor said does not violate the law if the vote occurs next term.
- Incoming speaker Julie Menin signaled preference for a commission review, and Williams said she is speaking with colleagues about options and intends to work with new leadership.
- Committee chair Lincoln Restler defended swift action, citing an estimated $1.6 million cost next fiscal year and competitiveness with other cities, and the measure is expected to land early on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s desk.