Argument for
This charter amendment will bring a more transparent, sensible process to how the mayor’s salary is set.
Current charter language ties the mayor’s salary to the highest-paid City employee. This method sounds reasonable, but in practice it means the mayor’s pay is driven by salary compression: as wages rise throughout the City workforce, labor contracts require supervisors and managers to receive corresponding increases. Those adjustments cascade upward, ultimately driving up the mayor’s salary. This amendment would instead have the mayor’s salary set by an independent salary commission, the same transparent process which is in use for the Bellingham City Council, and the process used for elected officials across Whatcom County. It’s also the norm statewide based on a review of similarly sized and larger Washington cities - not one set the mayor’s salary in relation to the salaries of their staff. Bellingham’s current method is the lone outlier.
A salary commission allows the public direct conversation about compensation for elected officials, rather than leaving it to an indirect formula. Vote Yes to eliminate Bellingham’s outdated system, align with best practices and create a more transparent process to determining the mayor's salary.
Their answer to the argument against
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Source: Local voters' pamphlet, page 15