— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Bethlehem City Council will review a proposal for higher pay for the mayor and council members on Tuesday.
Council member Kiera Wilhelm proposes raising the mayor’s salary in 2026 to $98,000 from $90,500, and council members pay would go to $10,650 from $7,100.
Both positions have gone without a raise for more than a decade, according to Wilhelm’s memorandum. She adds that council members and the mayors of Easton and Allentown are paid more than Bethlehem’s elected officials.
Raising public salaries is always a touchy subject, particularly this year, with a Democratic mayoral primary between incumbent J. William Reynolds and Council member Grace Crampsie Smith.
The raises would go into effect in 2026. Whether public officials want to be seen as raising their future pay will be the big question, even if other Lehigh Valley cities pay more.
The numbers themselves don’t look that high, but there are always objections to pay raises for government officials. The Mayor of Bethlehem is a full-time job, while council members are part-time.
A diligent council member can easily put in 20 hours per week, meaning the hour pay is about $7.50. Council members answer only to the electorate and do not have to work any specific number of hours.
Wilhelm’s memo also proposes raising the controller’s salary to $56,000 from $49,000, and paying the council solicitor (City Council’s legal adviser) $50,000 annually on a two-year basis. The council solicitor is paid $26,316 annually now, according to the memorandum.
Bethlehem City Council has had its own solicitor since the days of Paul Marcincin’s bid for a third term. Council decided then it wanted a legal adviser who was independent of the mayor.
The controller is an independent fiscal watchdog, monitoring spending and contracts.
Bethlehem City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, in Town Hall (the building between City Hall and the Bethlehem Area Public Library). Here is a link to the agenda.
Agendas are subject to change.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 
Councilperson Wilhelm indicates in her proposal that paying more would bring out better quality council members. That would be great, but Council members and the Mayor do not do the political work for the money, they do it for the ego boost.
Lots to discuss before they get a raise.
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