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Table of Contents Introduction I. City Council Compensation A. City Council: Forms and Functions B. The Question of How Much: Compensation Amounts C. The Question of How: Compensation Procedures 1. [...], How much of "other people's money" should city councils be paid? This Article analyzes the issue of city council compensation by exploring the institutional design of compensation procedures and unpacking the normative concerns surrounding the pay of our cities' elected leaders. Should city councils decide their own pay? Should voters? Should state legislatures? This Article contends that existing compensation procedures-such as city council control and referenda-distort compensation outcomes. Where procedures enable financial self-dealing or manipulation of standards, or where they insufficiently account for nonsalary compensation, overcompensation is the likely result. Conversely, where procedures enable rent-seeking behavior, exacerbate the politicized nature of politicians' pay, or fail to account for pay stagnation, undercompensation tends to result. Neither outcome is desirable. Overcompensation increases burdens on taxpayers, increases the risk that elected officials will be motivated more by pecuniary incentives than civic duty, and inadequately accounts for nonmonetary benefits of elected office. Conversely, undercompensation can lead to elected office being open only to those wealthy enough to afford it; risks a less effective, accountable, and transparent government; and can result in conflicts of interest and corruption. To address these concerns, this Article recommends specific mechanisms to improve the institutional design of city council compensation procedures and explores the question of state versus local control over city council compensation. While compensation amounts are not necessarily determinative of the quality of governance, compensation procedures affect who governs our cities. And who governs our cities matters because our cities matter. Cities large and small are responsible for an increasing share of public goods and services. In the face of deadlock at the federal and state levels, cities have engaged in innovative policymaking on issues as varied as climate change, civil rights, campaign finance, and consumer protection. By better understanding the impact of compensation processes on compensation outcomes, we can better understand the future of our cities.

Canadian municipalities face a significant challenge when setting council remuneration. The inherent conflict-of-interest that arises when councillors vote on their remuneration requires the process to be as unbiased as possible. This article identifies four themes in municipal remuneration reports: composition of review committees, use of tax-free remunerations, methodology of reviews, and identification of common key criteria for reviews. Using the identified criteria, the article recommends a four-stage process for remuneration. Focusing the reviews on the stated criteria of municipalities may increase acceptance of the results and attract the best possible candidates. Les municipalites canadiennes font face a un defi de faille lorsqu'elles doivent fixer la remuneration des conseillers. Le conflit d'interets inherent, qui surgit lorsque les conseillers votent au sujet de leur remuneration, exige que le processus soit aussi impartial que possible. Cet article identifie quatre themes dans les rapports municipaux sur la remuneration : composition des comites d'examen, recours a des remunerations non imposables, methodologie des examens, et identification de criteres cles communs pour les examens. A l'aide des criteres identifies, l'article recommande un processus de remuneration en quatre etapes. En axant les examens sur les criteres stipules par les municipalites, on pourrait accroitre l'acceptation des resultats et attirer les meilleurs candidats possibles., Introduction 'Remuneration is a difficult, if not nearly impossible, self-reflective decision-making process for elected bodies at all levels. Every option available is argued for and against. At the centre of [...]

Top-grade planning officers' pay is at the bottom of the scale compared to other council chiefs, according to latest figures. Statistics from Top Pay in Local Government, released by the [...]

The new regulations on allowances showed disparities such as councillors' allowances rising by more than two-thirds compared with that of council workers who received only 3%. This was, however, found to be fair and well-deserved as the councillors' pay had not been adjusted from their historically low level for a long, long time.

Information on town councillors' salaries compared to those of members of the Scottish Parliament is offered. Additional information on the Scottish local government is included.