Indianapolis City-County Council approves pay raises

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Members of the Indianapolis City-County Council have decided to give themselves a 44 percent pay raise.

The council voted 16-13 Monday in favor of boosting each member's base pay from $11,400 to $16,400. The Indianapolis Star (http://indy.st/1IRIAiB ) reports that the raises are set to take effect Jan. 1, when the newly elected council takes office, unless they're vetoed by the mayor.

A mayoral pay hike was proposed along with the council raises as a way to bring pay for Indianapolis' elected officials in line with that of other cities. But the provision calling for the mayor's salary to be raised from $95,000 to $125,000 was removed from the ordinance after it was opposed by outgoing Mayor Greg Ballard and Mayor-elect Joe Hogsett due to concerns over the proposal's timing.

Council members haven't seen a pay increase since 2002.

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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com