City of Tucson Mayor and Council Member Salary Increase Amendment, Proposition 405 (November 2015)
| Voting on Salaries of Government Officials |
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| Not on ballot |
A measure to increase the salaries of the Tucson cayor and city council members was on the ballot for Tucson voters in Pima County, Arizona, on November 3, 2015. It was defeated.
If approved, Proposition 405 would have amended the Tucson City Charter to increase the salaries of the Tucson mayor and members of the Tucson City Council. The mayor's salary would have been increased from $3,500 to $4,030 per month, while each council member's salary would have been increased from $2,000 to $2,288 per month. The last time these salaries were raised was in 1999.[1]
Election results
| Tucson, Proposition 405 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 No | 48,618 | 60.31% | ||
| Yes | 32,000 | 39.69% | ||
- Election results from Pima County Elections Office
Text of measure
Ballot language
The following language for this measure appeared on the ballot:[2]
| “ |
A “YES” vote shall have the effect of increasing the salary of the Mayor from $3,500 to $4,030 per month; and, increasing the salary of each of the members of the Council from $2,000 per month to $2,288 per month. A “NO” vote shall have the effect of continuing the salaries for the Mayor and the members of the Council at their pre-existing levels of $3,500 per month for the Mayor and $2,000 per month for each of the members of the Council.[3] |
” |
Full text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Support
Supporters
The following organization signed an official argument in favor of Proposition 405:[2]
- The Citizens’ Commission on Public Service and Compensation
Arguments in favor
Supporters of the proposition argued that acting as mayor or as a member of the city council is a full-time job, requiring an excess of 40 hours of work per week, and should come with an appropriate full-time salary. Neither the mayor nor the members of the council had received a salary increase since 1999. Supporters alleged that the city council's low salary limited the diversity of those who could reasonably attempt to hold one of these positions, since some citizens of "modest financial means" might be unable to afford living on such a low salary.[1]
The Citizens’ Commission on Public Service and Compensation published a report and recommendation in favor of Proposition 405 on March 5, 2015. The commission wrote:[1]
| “ |
The Citizens’ Commission on Public Service and Compensation is recommending these salary increases be approved based on the following premises:
In summary, since 1999, the City of Tucson has increased its budget by 44.15% and its population by 6.87%. During the same period, the cumulative inflation rate has increased by 37.5% but there has been no increase in either the Mayor’s or the Council members' salaries. Hence, for the reasons cited, the commission holds firmly that the recommended salary increases are justified.[3] |
” |
| —Citizens’ Commission on Public Service and Compensation[1] | ||
The full text of the commission's report and analysis in favor of the proposition can be read here.
Opposition
Opponents
The following individual made a public argument in opposition to Proposition 405:[4]
- Jonathan Rothschild, mayor of Tucson
Arguments against
Opponents of the measure did not believe that the mayor and council should be payed more, given the financial state of the city.[5] Recent cuts to certain city services left some believing that it was a poor time to increase the salaries of elected officials.[6]
Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild was quoted by the Arizona Daily Star as saying that neither he nor anyone on the council supported asking voters to increase their pay at the current time.[4] Some opponents cited this when arguing against the measure, claiming that there was no reason to increase salaries since the mayor and council themselves were opposed.[7]
Editorials
The editorial board of the Tucson Weekly endorsed a "no" vote on Proposition 405. The members of the board argued that other benefits of the jobs compensate for a relatively low salary and that it would be inappropriate to raise the pay for high-ranking officials given recent cuts to city services. The board wrote:[6]
| “ |
No. Prop 405 would boost the City Council's pay from $24,000 a year to $27,456 annually and the mayor's salary from $42,000 to $48,360 annually. While the pay seems low for what is a full-time job, there are a lot of other perks that come with the gig, from a free car to an outstanding pension after you serve just five years. Given how much the city has already cut back in vital services, we think it would send the wrong message to pass along raises.[3] |
” |
| —Tucson Weekly editorial board[6] | ||
The editorial board of the Arizona Daily Star also endorsed a "no" vote on Proposition 405. The board claimed that the time is not right for such a measure. The board wrote:[7]
| “ |
The mayor and council are against Proposition 405, which would increase their pay. It would raise the mayor’s salary from $42,000 to $48,360 and council members’ salaries from $24,000 to $27,456. We agree that this is not the time to give pay raises to the bosses. Vote “no.”[3] |
” |
| —Arizona Daily Star editorial board[7] | ||
Reports and analysis
Arizona Public Media
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Path to the ballot
Proposition 405 was recommended for the ballot by the Citizens’ Commission on Public Service and Compensation, a citizen committee. Unlike proposals from the Charter Review Committee, recommendations from the Public Service and Compensation commission do not need to be approved by the mayor and city council members before going to the ballot.[8]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tucson Mayor Council Member Salary Increase Amendment Proposition 405. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Pima County, Arizona ballot measures
- November 3, 2015 ballot measures in Arizona
- Tucson, Arizona municipal elections, 2015
- Salaries of local officials on the ballot
- Local charter amendments on the ballot
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 City of Tucson Election Department, "Official Voter Information," accessed October 21, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pima County Elections Department, “Ballot Question text,” accessed August 25, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Arizona Daily Star, "City ballot propositions highlighted at forum," October 2, 2015
- ↑ Arizona Daily Independent, "Tucson City Council wants pay raise," December 8, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Tucson Weekly, "The Tucson Weekly 2015 Endorsements," October 15, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Arizona Daily Star, "2015 endorsements by the Arizona Daily Star," October 15, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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